When Luffy Went a Little too Far
by Ssus
Summary: And the others did too. A story of how angry words can end up creating a whole lot of hurt and regret and turn into something they will never forget. Plenty of Hurt!/Luffy and Strawhat/Nakamaship (is that a word?).
1. Chapter 1 - Had Enough

**When Luffy Went A Little Too Far – Chapter 1**

**I decided to update these a bit. For anyone who is reading this for the first time, I hope you enjoy it! This story had definitely grown a LOT bigger than I first thought. A thank you for everyone who has the energy and patience to stick with me through every chapter, even when I take a while to update. :D**

**Warnings: None for this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own OP or any of the Characters.**

**Name of Chapter: Had Enough by Lifehouse. The words seemed very fitting, got some inspiration from it.**

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**Chapter 1 – Had Enough**

Even though the skies were clear and the sea was calm, the pirate ship Thousand Sunny was filled with a gloomy silence. Everyone on board was exhausted, each crew member lying sprawled out on the deck, each in their own corner. The scene was quite comical, actually.

Nami, Usopp and Chopper were huddled in a pile on the higher deck, still trembling from the adrenaline rush caused by their previous encounter, Usopp trying to convince them that it had all just been a dream. ("Really?! Whooh, that's great..." Sighed Chopper).

Franky was trying to fix his hair, tiredly pushing his nose to change the do which was flatly falling on his forehead, looking far from its usual awesomeness.

"This is so not suuuuupaaa..." His voice trailed off into unrecognizable mumbling.

Zoro and Robin were both sitting on some wayward barrels that had rolled across the deck and fallen over, both of them wishing their pride would allow them to lay on the floor in an ungraceful heap like the others.

Brook looked like an old pile of bones next to the main mast, laughing tiredly: "Yohoho...ho...ho."

Sanji was barely holding himself up, leaning on the railing and lazily holding a burned out, wet cigarette between his lips, too tired to get a new dry one even though he really needed one right now.

One might wonder what on earth had made the usually loud and happy crew so worn out. The answer is quite simple. They had sailed straight into one of the New World's worst storms. Not only was it strong and wild, and completely bizarre with its never ending lightning and 50 foot waves, but it had lasted longer than any they'd experienced before. All through the day and long till the next morning they had all fought to keep Sunny from capsizing, trying to hold all the loose items at bay while maintaining the course at the same time. All in all, every single one of them were at the end of their line, and none of them had any energy or patience left at all.

All except for one. The captain of the ship, Monkey D. Luffy had come down with a fever just few days prior. This had shocked them all, their brighter than sunshine captain was never sick! But something had brought him down, and even Chopper couldn't quite explain how or when. It wasn't serious, seemingly just a common cold, but it had them all worried because this was the never-ending ball of energy called Luffy that was moaning and whining in the covers of the bed, too tired to do much more.

And so they had all been on edge with worry, not really sleeping and doing their best to take care of their dear captain. Due to the illness, Chopper had prohibited Luffy from getting out of bed, especially during the storm, and therefore he had been sound asleep throughout the whole ordeal.

Or so they all thought.

In reality, he had still been suffering from a high fever that had forced the raven into an uneasy sleep, haunted by nightmares he hadn't had in a while. Nightmares of brothers that were no longer there, of gunshots and blood filled battlefields and of fears of losing his dear nakama.

The nightmares never really stopped, he still had them almost every night. He didn't think they would ever truly go away. But in time they had faded, lost their colors and details, become more of a blur of sound and movement. He never mentioned any of this to his friends, not wanting to worry them. It was all in the past now, and he was doing his best to focus on the present. And in the end, it was his burden to carry, not theirs. He was the captain, and therefore it was his job to stay strong.

But every now and then he found himself wanting to reach out to one of them. It was moments like this one, when the nightmares had been too vivid and real to bare. He had caught himself a few times, hand already out to grasp one his nakama for support, changing his mind at the last minute and come up with an excuse for his actions. Instead of telling them what was going on, he would just become a bit more clingy than usual. He knew they had noticed the change. They would give him an odd look when he would suddenly come up and hug them for no reason, or huff in exasperation when he decided to crawl in one of their beds in the middle of the night. They would roll their eyes, but none of them ever denied him. And he was thankful for that, because he needed it. It seemed simple, but it was important to him. Every little touch assured him that he wasn't alone.

And so when he woke up after this particularly horrific nightmare, all he wanted to do was go up and spend some time with his crew, make sure they really were there, back together and everyone was okay. His eagerness was only fueled by the fact that he had been lying in bed for three days, all the while being incredibly bored. That is why he was now running to the deck, waving his arms in excitement.

"Hey everybody! Is it breakfast time yet Sanji! Is it? I'm huuuungryyy! Usopp, Chopper, can we play? I came up with a new game! Oh, hey Brook can you play something? I feel like having a party, can we?!"

He was jumping up and down around the grassy deck from one crewmate to another, his face nearly splitting with a grin that made the sun look awfully pale in comparison.

But this is where everything went wrong. Luffy's eagerness and the rest of the crew's exhaustion were like two storm clouds colliding, making thunder boom with a crash of lightning.

Nami, who was ill tempered even on her nicest of days, was the first to snap.

"A party? You wanna have a party?!"

Luffy's smile faltered a little, even he wasn't dense enough to not realize when the navigator was truly angry. He watched warily as the girl got up from the pile of tangled limbs and practically flew down the stairs to where Luffy was standing. The poor captain had to take a step back when Nami grasped the collar of his vest in an unyielding grip and got up to his face.

"You may be naive and carefree all the damn time, but enough is enough! A party!? No, we can _NOT _have a party!"

Luffy tried to laugh it off, nervously scratching the back of his head.

"I just thought it might cheer you guys up, since you look like you're feeling a little down..." the rest of his sentence was drowned out by Nami's ear splitting screech.

"A little down?! You have _got_ to be kidding me! I honestly didn't think even _you_ could be this dumb! Do you realize that while you were happily snoozing off downstairs, we were fighting for our freaking lives up here!? What kind of captain does it make you when all you're good for is staying out of the way?"

At this point even Nami was aware that she was crossing a line, but she was tired beyond comprehension and wasn't thinking straight.

"You know, now that I think about it, there _is_ one thing that would cheer me up. Why don't you for once make yourself useful, and just disappear somewhere so we can do our jobs!"

Then she dashed off, heading up to make sure they were still on course, completely missing the hurt that was so clearly shining in the raven's onyx eyes.

Luffy was shocked. He knew he wasn't good at… well, anything really, but that's what he had his nakama for. However, now he was realizing that maybe he was relying on them a little too much. What did he ever do for them but made their jobs just that much harder? Always running around, destroying things, bothering them when they tried to concentrate and eating food that wasn't his to eat.

But the way Nami just said it seemed a little unfair even to him. It wasn't like he was lazily sleeping away while the others were in danger. He had much rather been there with them to make sure everyone was okay. But Chopper had told him not to get out of bed, right? Even Nami had reminded him to rest and then proceeded to threaten him with a 10,000 beli debt for making her worry.

So he put himself back together and shook it off as Nami just being tired and grumpy, and turned to face the rest of the Straw Hats, the smile back on his face.

"Shishishi... seems like I made Nami a little angry. Maybe food would make her feel better! It always helps me! Sanji, can I help you with breakfast!?" He shot a hopeful look in the cook's direction, his stomach giving a low rumble from lack of proper meals. Being sick had also meant that he didn't feel like eating, and during the past three days he'd only had a third of what he would've normally eaten. Unfortunately Luffy wasn't in luck, and the cook had had it too.

"Nami-san is right. The only way you can help right now is just let us be. And you can go and get your own damn breakfast when we get to the next island, shouldn't be too long. I'm not letting you anywhere near my kitchen, you'd only be in the way anyway. Or better yet, eat everything before anyone else got even a single bite." The blonde flicked his cigarette into the ocean and left to see how much damage the storm had done in the kitchen.

The smile on Luffy's face was now gone, and he looked at his remaining comrades. One by one they all shuffled off to do what they had to before finally being able to rest, silently agreeing with the cook and navigator.

Once he was the only one left on the deck, Luffy let his walls come down. Every insecurity and fear he had ever had had practically just been thrown in his face. He remembered the panic from last night's nightmare, watching as his nakama disappeared one after another. Then he thought of the two years when they had all been separated and how much stronger everyone had gotten. Maybe he was just holding them all back? Maybe they would've been better off without him. After all, all he could do was fight, but if he wasn't good enough to save even one nakama, good enough to save even one brother... then what was he good for?

Body trembling and eyes shining with unshed tears, the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates fell on his knees. He grasped the rim of his hat, trying to pull it further down to hide his face like he'd done when he was a child. Only now it was too small for that, not covering more than his eyes, but that was enough. He sat there, down on his knees, breathing heavily and trying to keep himself from falling apart.

This wasn't him, not anymore. He had trained for two years, every single day he'd worked, never stopping, barely sleeping, and here he was, the same crybaby as always, unable to help or save anyone.

"An island ahead!" Came a cry from the crow's nest, and Luffy shot up like he'd been electrocuted. He looked to his right where he could see an island in the distance and made a decision.

He would show them. He would prove them that he could be better, prove that he could be of use. With his newfound goal in mind, he went inside to grab a few things that he would need, careful not to run into any of his crewmates in fear of setting them off again.

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**That was it. Tell me what you think! ^-^**

**-Ssus**


	2. Chapter 2 - Far from Home

**When Luffy Went a Little too Far – Chapter 2**

**I am still sooo very thankful and surprised about the positive response I got for chapter 1. Special thanks to the reviews I got, they made me smile like a fool. :D**

**Warnings: Just some swearing… for now…**

**Disclaimer: Don't own OP or any of the characters.**

**Name of chapter: Far from Home by Five Finger Death Punch (which I misspelled the first time, sorry about that xD) Try listening to it. Most of the time these songs fit the chapter. Sometimes… There is no real explanation, I just felt like it. :P**

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**Chapter 2 – Far from Home**

On Sunny, the next day...

Robin had never really slept much, let alone well. Because of her past she had learned to sleep with one eye open at all times. It wasn't until she joined the Straw Hats that she was able to feel safe enough to let herself sleep soundly, knowing she had someone to have her back. It was a wonderful feeling, a simple necessity she had been denied of most of her life, but now she had it, and she was grateful for it.

However, she had never been able to change the habit of sleeping only a few hours every night, which is why she was very surprised to wake up only to find out she had slept through a whole day and a half. It was early morning judging by the faint light she could see in the horizon through the women's quarter's window. The storm had really taken a toll on her.

She stretched her hands above her head, glancing to her right where the ship's navigator was still deep asleep. Smiling fondly at her fellow crewmate, she got up and dressed quickly. Despite being well rested and relaxed, she had an uneasy feeling in the pit of stomach she couldn't quite explain.

Walking towards the kitchen she could smell the freshly brewed coffee she had gotten used to. It had become a routine at some point, and she was more than happy to find out that the two years apart had not broken the habit.

Every morning the first one up would be Sanji who would get ready to prepare breakfast. In the beginning Robin had been a little surprised by this, because she always woke up very early, used to being the first one awake. She had also felt a little weary, not in the mood for the cook's silly flirting so early in the morning. But as it turned out, when it was just her and the blonde, he was actually great company. He would make her coffee and they would chat while he prepared breakfast.

Thanks to these mornings they had developed a strong friendship. Not that they weren't friends otherwise, but talking seriously about things really made people closer. Robin was one of the oldest people in the crew, and as much as she enjoyed being a motherly figure to the boys, she really needed these grown up talks she could have with Sanji.

It wasn't anything too special, very simple really. They would talk about Sanji's meal plans for the day, about the next island they were supposed arrive on or their captain's shenanigans from the previous day. But in all of its simpleness, they both treasured these moments.

"Good morning, Cook-san." Robin said with a smile as she sat down by the table.

Sanji walked over with the usual cup of steaming coffee, black with sugar.

"Always so polite. You know you could call me by my name. Here, there's some leftover croissants from the other day. I tried to butter them well to make them less dry."

The woman just smiled thankfully and ignored his request. By now her polite way of addressing her crew had become more like friendly nicknames and she planned on keeping it that way.

"I hope you slept well. I don't think we've ever been that tired all at the same time. Even I woke up only an hour ago." The blonde was turning on the burners and setting pans and pots on them before returning to prepare the rest of the needed ingredients.

"Indeed. I don't think I've gotten a good night's sleep like this in years." After this they fell into a comfortable silence as Sanji kept on making breakfast and Robin let her gaze wander out the window, watching the Eastern sky become brighter and brighter.

Her thoughts wandered to the storm and the aftermath. It had taken them quite a while to clean the mess it had created. Sanji had needed help in the kitchen where silverware and broken dishes were covering the floor. It was not often they ran into a storm bad enough to do that much damage, especially after Sanji had made sure everything was secured in place.

She remembered helping a frustrated Nami gather her maps and journals. Robin would've used her power to get the job done faster, but all the seawater that had splashed on to the deck had made her already exhausted body very weak. She remembered Nami muttering about their reckless captain and how he didn't know how to be serious.

Here the uneasy feeling in her stomach spiked. Luffy… She thought back to when the happy captain had bounced to the deck, asking to have a party.

Robin had learned to know the younger raven quite well during their time together. The first impression people often had of Monkey D. Luffy was that he was confusing and hard to understand. After knowing him for a while one would learn he was actually very simple and predictable. He seemed to have a one tracked mind; food, sleep and playing, almost like a child.

But if you really, really knew him, you started to see the deeper side of him. How his fists would twist ever so slightly when anyone would badmouth one of his nakama, how he would try to avoid unnecessary fighting even though usually it seemed he was always the first one to head straight to battle without a second thought. There was the way his eyes shone with longing as he stared out to the sea and when he thought no one was looking. Every now and then he would say something that sounded rude or childish, but was in fact wise in a very simple and truthful way that some had trouble understanding.

And his latest habit of placing his hand on top the X-shaped scar on his chest whenever one of them mentioned anything that happened before the War of the Greatest. He thought they didn't notice, but they did, all of them.

In fact, they noticed a lot more than he thought. He didn't think they knew about the severity of his nightmares, but the way he sometimes cried in his sleep would carry all the way to the women's quarters and keep them all awake, filling their nights with pain and regret. The way he would sometimes crawl in somebody else's hammock in the middle of the night in search of comfort. Sanji had told Robin about it the first time the captain had chosen the blonde's hammock as his safe place. It was mostly Zoro he went to, but every now and then he would come to the others too.

Robin had been very sad to hear this. She had noticed how much more physical contact the young captain seemed to need these days. He would come to her much more often than he had before to ask if she would read to him, and instead of sitting across from her or lying on the floor like he used to, he would sit next to her and slowly lower his head to lean on her shoulder or lay on her lap. She didn't mind. She would only thread her fingers through his black locks and keep on reading, happy to give her captain any form of comfort and support she could.

She remembered a time they had been shopping in one of the many towns they stopped at, and Luffy had suddenly jumped on the green haired swordsman's back, refusing to let go and riding there all the way back to Sunny.

Or another time when he asked Chopper to hold his hand as they sat fishing on Sunny's railing.

All in all, he had become very clingy, but none of them minded. They all loved their captain dearly, and would never deny him comfort when he needed it. Except that they had, just the day before.

Now Robin finally realized why she was feeling such uneasiness. She went through the scene in her mind. How Luffy had bounced to the deck, obviously just woken up judging by his messy hair and the sleepy look in his eyes. He had been waving his arms every which way, seemingly excited, but in reality hiding the fact that they were shaking. He must have woken up from yet another nightmare. They had gotten worse again while he was sick, making the crew worry even more than they already had been. And then he had started to ask them all to do things with him, just like he did when he needed comfort. And they had denied it.

Her blue eyes widened in horror as she remembered how she and everyone else had let Nami scream at the poor boy who had no idea how bad the storm had been and how tired they all were. Robin remembered agreeing with Nami as she yelled; "_Why don't you for once make yourself useful and just disappear somewhere so we can do our jobs!"_ Damn it.

"Sanji!" Robin's voice was clear and sharp as she shot up from her seat, spilling the now cold coffee all over the table. The cook turned around in shock, not just because of the woman's alarming tone, but also surprised how she had used his name. As he turned he was faced with a frantic looking Robin. He just stared and waited in silence.

"Luffy! Have you seen Luffy?!" Sanji lifted his visible eyebrow in question. It took him a while to get why his friend was asking about their captain. His cigarette fell to the floor as his mouth opened in a silent 'oh'. He remembered now too. Every word the ship's navigator had shot at the helpless boy, and then his own words echoed in his mind as clear as day.

"_The only way you can help us right now is just to leave us be."_

Shit.

With that they both rushed downstairs and burst into the men's quarters with the loud bang of the door hitting the wall.

"The hell?" came a sleepy complaint from one of the hammocks. Without bothering to explain, Sanji checked every corner of the room as Robin made sure the captain's own hammock was empty. As it became clear he wasn't there, they ran off to search the rest of the ship.

"What on earth was that?" Usopp asked as he sat up and lost his balance in his grogginess, falling out of his hammock and crashing headfirst onto the floor.

"Waah, Usopp! Are you okay!?" Chopper cried as he hopped out of his own bed and helped the sniper up again.

"It seemed to me like they were looking for some- s_oooooome_thing." Franky yawned. They all decided to get dressed and go wait in the galley to find out what was going on.

As they arrived, they found a grumpy looking Nami already sitting at the table, nursing a coffee in her hands. She looked up as they entered and scoffed unhappily.

"I see you got the crazy new wakeup call Sanji and Robin have come up with." Usopp had to chuckle at that. It all seemed a bit weird. Not that they didn't often get woken up in a very similar manner, but never by Sanji or Robin. Them running around so frantically, and together nonetheless, was unheard of.

They all helped themselves to some coffee too and then waited in a tired coma, some of them dozing off a little.

In about five minutes the two they were waiting for returned to the galley with worried and guilty looks on their faces. Those looks were enough to wake the rest of the crew up for good.

"What's going on, Robin-san, Sanji-san." Brook asked politely. Both of them sighed deeply before sitting down at the end of the table.

"Well…" Sanji started slowly, lighting up a cigarette and taking a long drag.

"It seems we've made a small mistake. No, scratch that, a big one, actually." Seeing the expectant looks on his fellow crewmates' faces, he went on.

"I'm not pointing any fingers at any of us specifically, we were all there and are just as guilty. But it seems that our idiotic captain took our words a little too literally yesterday." He let them all take a moment to think back to the previous day and the heated exchange of words. As they finally got it, they were all equally shocked, Nami lifting a hand to cover her mouth like she was trying to stop the words from coming out. Only it was too late, they had already been said. Robin took over and explained the current problem.

"We've looked everywhere and captain-san is definitely not on the ship. We did, however, find some other things missing as well. It appears he has taken some money and the shopping list we wrote down for restocking."

Usopp looked at Robin with an exasperated look.

"You mean to tell us Luffy's gone shopping? Excuse me for not seeing how that's a problem. Shouldn't we be glad he's taking responsibility for once and doing some chores?" Chopper, Franky and Brook all nodded at this, also failing to see what the big deal was. Zoro and Nami, however, seemed to understand exactly what was wrong. Zoro had squeezed his eye shut and Nami was opening and closing her mouth like she was trying to say something, but not a word came out.

"Well, let's start with the fact that Luffy has been gone much longer than a simple shopping tip should take, supposing he left yesterday afternoon as we docked."

Usopp was still refusing to see the warning signs even though they were right there, plain in sight. He didn't want to believe that Luffy could be in any kind of danger.

"He probably just got lost and decided to sleep somewhere. He'll come through that door any minute now." Chopper was looking at Usopp hopefully, wanting to believe his words to be true.

"That might be the case on any other day, we all know Luffy isn't known for his sense of direction that rivals the moss head's…" Robin gave Sanji a stern look here, warning him now wasn't the time. Sanji cleared his throat and continued.

"Like I was saying, if it weren't for the rest of the evidence, that might've been what happened. But as I remember, we pretty much told him that he was good for nothing and that he should beat it." At Sanji's ruthless words they all felt the guilt settle in like a thousand knives. How could they?

"Our best guess is that he wanted to prove he could be of help, and headed to town to restock," Robin continued explaining, "But seeing as he was still sick…" Here Chopper shrieked something about forgetting to check on him and then the little reindeer burst into tears.

"…and he hadn't eaten well in a few days, there is a reason to be worried. We all know how quickly he weakens when hungry." At this point Sanji nearly bit his cigarette in half, cursing himself to hell. He had went against everything he believed in and refused someone food. And not just anyone, but his captain.

"Adding all this to the fact that he hasn't returned yet, we can only assume that something happened to him." Robin finished with a forlorn look. How could they let it come to this?

For the first time since waking up, the first mate of the ship spoke up.

"We have failed and betrayed our captain when he was weak and needed us. And don't think anything less, any guilt you're feeling is well deserved." He let his gaze wander around the table, inspecting the painful looks on his comrades faces. He himself felt like he was going to split in two with worry, and was overcome with an unbearable need to see the smiling face of his leader right now to make sure he was okay.

"We're going to eat breakfast because we're no use to anyone if we pass out on the street. Then we'll separate into groups and turn this town inside-out if we have to, but we are not resting until we have Luffy back here with us. _And then_-" He raised his voice with the last two words, emphasizing the importance of what he was about to say.

"-Then we're making sure that that idiot understands that we didn't really mean any of what we said yesterday. _Any_ of it. We'll sit here all week if we have to, we will make sure he will _never_ again think we don't want him around. _Is that clear_!?" He dared them to say otherwise with a feral glare that would've scared anyone into oblivion. It wasn't often any of them used any sort of authority on each other. It wasn't even very often Luffy would use his position as captain to give them orders, it just wasn't how they worked. But it was even rarer that Zoro would stand up to his place as Luffy's first mate and give out orders. So when he did, they listened.

They all nodded quietly in agreement and went on to hurriedly eat their breakfast.

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Somewhere in town, the day before...

Luffy was slowly making his way through the busy streets of this particular town. It was just starting to dawn on him that maybe he should've taken a map with him, because he had no idea where he was going. Then again, a map wouldn't really do him any good considering he didn't even know how to read one.

He sighed at this thought. Yet another thing he couldn't do. But he had decided he would do this for his friends, and he would not give up even if it took him all day. He still felt they had been a bit unfair, but if it was a responsible captain they needed, then it was a responsible captain they'd _get_.

As his mind began to wander, he thought back to a faraway place, to the days of running around in the jungle with his two brothers. He remembered fighting with them over the title of captain, none of them willing to give in. Sabo had once told him that a captain was someone who the crew could trust to take care of things and make decisions, to which Ace had commented that he already felt bad for Luffy's future crew because any decision he would make would lead them to sail right off the edge of the world. Ace had always been so mean.

But now as the straw hat thought about it, he couldn't help but agree. He wasn't really fit to make most decisions. He didn't understand the value of money, and therefore couldn't be trusted with any decisions regarding their expenses and where their money went, so he let Nami handle that. If it was up to him, they would all be eating meat every day and most likely get sick at some point from the lack of vitamins and all that, and so Sanji had full power over deciding what they ate. There were other things too, but he knew his crew was more than capable of taking care of it all.

So what if he didn't know how to do any of those things? That didn't make him a bad captain, right? When it came to serious things like fighting someone dangerous or helping someone out, he was always there to make the decision, and he was pretty sure he'd done a good job so far. He'd always made sure pinpoint who their strongest enemy was so he could fight them and keep them away from his nakama. Sure, sometimes he chose to take the dangerous route instead of the easy one and they ended up in a big mess, but he knew his crew was strong and could handle themselves.

In the end, he really was at loss as to what to do. It seemed like during the two years they spent apart his crew mates grew up, and now Luffy's careless ways weren't enough for them anymore. And that's how he ended up here, lost in the middle of a town he didn't even know the name of. He looked at the people around him, not recognizing any of them. He secretly hoped he would suddenly spot a familiar face in the crowd, one that would come to him, take his hand and help him back home, but he shook his head to clear such thoughts away. He was a grown, responsible man, and he could find his way himself.

Deciding that walking around aimlessly wouldn't get him anywhere, the captain looked around for a place to sit down and spotted a dingy looking bar around the next corner. He was getting very hungry and there might be people there he could ask for directions, so he walked in.

The place looked a bit shady, especially since the entrance was on one of the side streets, but Luffy had always been oblivious to these sorts of thing. He was very strong, after all, so he didn't usually have to worry about bandits or other lowlifes like that. But he was underestimating the effects his sickness was having on him, forgetting that he wasn't completely well yet.

Luffy took a seat by the bar and looked at the prices displayed on the menu above the weary looking owner's head. He frowned a little, only now realizing that he hadn't really brought as much money as he had thought. He had been very careful not to take too much, knowing that Nami would get angry. But he hadn't had even the slightest idea of how much everything cost since he had never had to do any shopping.

While Luffy had been busy thinking about the prices he failed to notice the group of men sitting in the corner of the room, staring at him intently.

"I could be wrong, but I could swear that the boy sitting at the bar is Straw Hat Luffy." One of the men whispered to the others. They all nodded in agreement as the one who was most likely the leader of the group took a good look at said boy. The man in question was very well known in this town, though not in a good way. He and his men were notorious slave traders and pretty much had everyone around here eating from their hands as they feared being sold off themselves. And so the bartender just let them do as they pleased, even though he felt sorry for all the young men and women that disappeared right after leaving his bar.

The leader, Genzo, as they called him, was studying Luffy with his expert eyes he had honed to perfection during his years in this business. If you wanted to succeed, you had to know what you were looking for. Even if this young man wasn't the rather famous pirate, it looked as though they might still get good money for him all the same. Genzo let his eyes follow the slender form and smooth skin of his soon to be latest victim, taking in the defined muscles and small waist. With a grin, he stood up.

"Let's find out, shall we? If he is indeed one of the supernova rookies, we're in for a fortune. Just imagine the money we'd make with the notorious son of Dragon." His fellow men suddenly had a dreamy gleam in their eyes, but one of them still looked doubtful.

"But boss, Straw Hat has a 400,000,000 beli bounty on his head. There is no way we'll be able to take him on!" The boss just laughed at that and proceeded to seat himself on the stool next to the straw-hatted boy.

His men weren't quite as experienced as he was in these things. Genzo had learned to study people to make sure he knew exactly how to deceive someone or how to squeeze more money from another. This particular boy was staring at the menu with a frown on his face and flush on his cheeks. It almost looked like he was a little dizzy. Assuming this meant that the boy was exhausted and most likely lost, he decided on a strategy and he leaned in to start a conversation.

"You seem troubled. Maybe I can help you with something?" Most people would've left in a heartbeat, he knew his words were more than suspicious. But once again his instincts were right, and the oblivious boy just smiled and explained how he had never known how everything was so expensive. He then proceeded to tell him he was trying to do a favor for his friends who were resting back on their ship and the he got lost and blaah blaah blaah. Genzo had heard enough.

'_Idiot',_ he thought as he went on and offered to buy the boy a drink. The other's eyes lit up in grateful excitement and he gladly accepted. Genzo gave the bartender a meaningful look, and the old man handed the drink to him first. Here the man took his opportunity, shuffling around with the drink before handing it over to the raven. Luffy just smiled and happily drank it all, thinking of how lucky he was to have run into this friendly man. Had he been more lucid, he would've seen the predatory gleam in the other's eyes right away. He was, after all, pretty good at judging people. But his fever had once again peaked and hunger was clouding his mind, and so he proceeded to make one of the biggest mistakes of his life.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**Uh-oh, Luffy's in trouble now. O.O**

**Next chapter we find out what happens to the poor captain! I feel bad for him, really, he's all confused and alone. But I really enjoy flipping the roles and making it so that the rest of the crew is helping him out, not the other way around. That's all I can say without spoiling it. Till' next time! ^-^**

**P.S The one shots I've written are slightly related to this story, so if you're interested in reading some more of-topic, deeper explanations for some stuff, I hope give them a look. I will be posting more of those while the main story goes on.**

**Thank you for your time, and also for any reviews and favorites. They make my day. ^-^**

**-Ssus**


	3. Chapter 3 - Mistake

**When Luffy Went A Little Too Far – Chapter 3**

**Another update. Not a very long one this time, but it's important that this is separate from everything else.**

**Also, I got some awesome reviews again, and I wanted to answer them, so I put a little section at the end where I can do that. You can either go read those first or just go on with the chapter. ;) **

**Warnings: Descriptions of drug's effects, violence, some vague hints of sexual assault**

**Disclaimer: Don't own OP or any of the characters.**

**Name of chapter: Mistake of Your Life from the soundtrack of the Duchess (I'm changing some of the chapter names. I've been listening to a lot of my old music lately, and found some that reminded me of some of the chapters.)**

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**Chapter 3 – Mistake**

Luffy was happily gulping down the drink this nice stranger had bought him. He was very lucky, this didn't look like the kind of place were nice people came to, now that the thought about it. But he was hungry and dizzy, so he didn't care. Also, this way Nami wouldn't get mad at him for wasting money on unnecessary things such as his '_bottomless pit of a stomach_', as she put it.

Now that he was all done with the drink, he wondered if it would be awfully rude to ask for something to eat too. But at the thought of food his stomach did one of those painful flips it had been doing ever since he'd gotten sick. He groaned audibly, feeling nauseous now. He tried to lift his hand to his mouth in an all too familiar reaction to the burning feeling in the back of his throat, but all of a sudden his body felt heavy and his movements were a bit off, and all he succeeded in doing was smacking his hand down on the counter.

Luffy was somewhat aware that the man next to him was saying something, but his ears were refusing to work properly. All he heard were distant echoes and as he looked up, his vision twisted and warped the man's face so it looked like something out of a nightmare. Luffy found this unnerving and as he felt himself starting to fall off of his stool, he decided he needed to go visit Chopper.

And so he thanked the stranger for the drink, (or at least tried to, he wasn't sure what the slurred words that he managed to get out sounded like) and staggered unsteadily towards the door. When he finally reached it (it had felt like forever, because the door kept moving from side to side and refused to stay still), he leaned on it a little too hard and stumbled out onto the street, falling over and scraping his palms and knees painfully. He cried out at this, wondering why such little scratches hurt so badly, since he'd definitely had far worse than this before. The need to see Chopper right about now became more and more urgent as he searched for the wall to help himself stay vertical.

Just as he found a surface to press his palm on, there were suddenly strong hands holding him up. They had a firm grip on him, but the touch wasn't familiar. Luffy wanted to push the person away, but didn't have the strength to.

He thought he heard something about helping him along and tried to protest, but his mouth didn't work at all anymore, and so all he could do was let himself be dragged further down the street.

He frowned at this. Why were they going this way? To get out you had to go back to the main street, even _he _knew that much. But as they turned to an empty alleyway it started to dawn on him that he might be in trouble.

That's when the grip under his arms changed from firm to painful. He felt himself being pushed against a hard surface, most likely the wall. His wrists were held above his head and someone took his chin in a bruising grip. Why did it hurt so much? He was rubber, it wasn't supposed to hurt!

Whoever was holding him had the same kind of rough and calloused hands as Zoro. Except the swordsman had never hurt Luffy with his touch. The thought of his green haired friend made him remember Chopper again and the fact that he needed the doctor. Or someone, _any_ one of his friends. He didn't know where he was or what was happening to him, so where was his crew?

Then one of the foreign hands was traveling down his torso and propping his stomach, and he suddenly remembered a time Robin had sat him down for a talk. It was that time when some drunken idiot had tried to hit on Nami and put his hands too far up her thigh or something, leaving Luffy to wonder why Nami pounded the guy half to death. He had been so sure he himself had put his hand in Nami's thigh plenty of times, and she never tried to kill him. Well, not for that particular reason anyway. Robin had then explained that there was a certain kind of touch that wasn't supposed to happen if the recipient felt uncomfortable with it, and that some touches were meant for only those who you care about.

Right now, Luffy felt far more than uncomfortable, and he was starting to understand what all that had meant. But then again, maybe this wasn't exactly that kind of thing. It was more like the fingers on him were trying to search him or were checking for something. They pushed on his ribs, travelled through his hair and opened his mouth painfully. It was like one of Chopper's checkups, except rougher and far more painful. The tiny reindeer was always gentle and careful, and asking for permission before sticking things in people's mouths! Luffy was getting a little angry, though he quickly forgot what for.

He was almost sure he had called out to his nakama out loud at some point, but that didn't do much good. As his vision became increasingly blurry, he finally began to struggle. He kicked and wriggled, pulling against the intruding appendages. He was damned if he would let himself be some experiment for this weird doctor! Wait, why was there a here doctor again?

Oh well, that didn't matter. All he needed to worry about was getting away. Doing his best to gather his scattered thoughts, Luffy focused all his energy into imagining his nakama who were waiting for him, and with strength he didn't know he still had, he slipped his other wrist free and used that fist to blindly throw a punch somewhere in front of him. He heard a yelp and took off running immediately. He needed to get back to the ship. He was feeling more and more disoriented, a prickling pain was running up his legs and taking over his body. Every little bump from the walls or scrape from the ground hurt like hell and he was seriously starting to panic.

Luffy could feel his beloved hat bouncing on his back as he kept on going, his line of sight now filled with a blurry ocean of faces. He was sure he knocked over more than one but he didn't care. As long as he got to his crew, that was all he could think about.

But as he went on, his body started to shut down. He stumbled more and more, tripping over his own feet and ending up on all fours. Slowly he crawled towards an empty space he saw, determined to get away from the stampede of feet that were now painfully kicking him.

Looking around he wasn't sure where he was now, but he was just lucid enough to notice that he wasn't alone. A figure was walking towards him and so he stood up shakily and lifted his fists up to defend himself. He couldn't tell the shadow to back off, but he let out a dangerous growl, hoping that whomever it was would leave him alone.

And then the figure's arm was rising, something glistening in their hand. Before Luffy had time to register what it was, he heard a loud bang, felt unbearable pain and everything went black.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**In the next chapter we get to follow the rest of the Straw Hats as they search for their wayward Captain, and hopefully find out what exactly happened here.**

**Thanks for reading again, hope you're still interested and keep on following. ^-^**

**And since it happens to be Mother's Day, lots of love for all the mothers out there. I take care of 4 small kids daily, and even though they are not my own, I know exactly how hard and wonderful it is to be a mother and I respect them all. 3 (P.S I just have to say that while I am updating these ANs, it is apparently almost exactly a year later, because it's gonna be mother's day next week. :D Can't believe it's been so long. :o)**

**-Ssus**

**And then my answers to some of your reviews:**

**Queen Lily Tiger Ellyessa: **What, Luffy tried to take my cookie!? Unacceptable! I might be willing to share for a cup of coffee, though. ^-^

Thank you for your review, I won't take too long to update. ;) And yes, there will be more Franky and Brook too, I've tried to give them all their moments in different chapters and explore their bonds with Luffy. I just have this little problem where I just keep writing and writing once I start thinking about what one of them would feel or think, and the chapters would be unbearably long with just that if I did them all at the same time or all the time. :D

But everybody will get their moments!

**Youngsoul: **Thank you for your kind words! I'm glad you are enjoying this. ^-^ And I will post the one shots at some point, maybe I'll save them for a time when I can't update a new chapter in a while.

**FlightWulf: **Thank you so much for your comments! I had so much fun reading them. It's great to know someone finds these ideas as exciting as I do ^-^ and if you do end up drawing something, you have to let me know, I wanna see! O.O

And darn it! I knew Genzo sounded familiar, but I hear so many Japanese names on a daily basis I didn't think anything of it. I actually am not happy with his name at all, I changed it at least 3 times, if I remember right. Damn him. Maybe I'll come up with a catchy nickname and they can call him that. Suggestions? :D Thanks for pointing that out.

Also the spelling. I wish I had a beta. But my idiotic friends (I love them, really) are either not reading One Piece (what is wrong with them!?) or are not interested in fan fiction (yet again, why!?) OR they are not up to date with the manga and are afraid of getting spoilers from my stories... Why am I friends with these people? So I'll try extra hard to check them myself! And maybe I should apologize to Five Finger Death Punch for misspelling their name. x) Sorry!

**Carraotcakeo5: **Thanks for reviewing. I will try my best to keep my updates weekly, I myself think even a week is too long to wait, with any series, manga chapters or fanfic updates. :D

Oh, and I would love to write a little something about Luffy and Zoro. Poor Zoro has no idea what he's in for! Mwhahahaa… I'm evil.

**Also thanks for all the anonymous reviews, they are appreciated as well!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Taken

**When Luffy Went a Little too Far – Chapter 4**

**Chapter 4 is here! Once again, hope you all enjoy. :)**

**Warnings: Violence, blackmailing, mentions of drug use**

**Disclaimer: Don't own OP or any of the characters.**

**Name of chapter: Taken from the soundtrack of The Last Samurai. Gotta love Zimmer's music, gets me everytime.**

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**Chapter 4 – Taken**

With the Straw Hat crew...

Zoro was getting seriously frustrated. They had been running around this damned town all day and so far there've been absolutely no sign of their captain at all. It was a big town, but Luffy never failed to go anywhere without making sure half the world knew he'd been there. Leave it to that idiot to actually succeed in laying low the _one_ time they needed him to make a ruckus.

The swordsman let out an angry growl, startling Usopp who'd been running right beside him.

"How hard can it be to find someone whose face is known all over the freaking world!?" Zoro shouted out loud, making the sniper cower back a little.

"It's possible that Luffy came up with a disguise. You know how we've been telling him he can't just barge in anywhere without caution anymore, especially here in the New World? Maybe he listened for once and learned? I mean, everyone listens to me, the great Captain Usopp…" Usopp's suggestion was more of a question than a statement, with no real power behind it as he didn't really believe it himself either. Even though Luffy had his smart moments, "careful" just wasn't in his nature.

Zoro glared at his friend in annoyance knowing very well that Luffy hadn't once thought of wearing any sort of disguise. Just as the first mate was about to suggest they should try to look around the docks again, they heard Nami's voice call for them.

"There you are! Great, now we can all go together." She paused to catch her breath, Zoro and Usopp noticing that all of the other Straw Hats were right behind her.

"What's up, did you find something?" Zoro tried to hide the hopeful edge in his voice as he waited for an answer.

"Yes! Chopper and I were going around, asking people if they'd seen anyone that looked like Luffy and finally someone pointed us towards here, to that very street right there actually." She was pointing a little further off to the right of them at an entrance to a side street.

"It was weird though," Chopper piped up, "There were a lot of people who looked like they might know something, but they just hurried away saying stuff that sounded like excuses to me. Do you think they were afraid of us?" He was looking at Nami with round eyes, but it was Robin who answered.

"They were afraid, but I don't think it's us they're afraid off. Franky and I had similar experiences with the town's people, and hey all seem to be more than unwilling to give away any information." The raven haired woman had a dreadful look on her face, like she already knew something they didn't.

"There was even one _suuupaaa_ energetic lady who screamed at us to run for our lives. A perver-… I mean a weirdo." Franky wasn't even in the mood for posing right now, worry weighing him down.

"Well, I definitely don't like the sound of that. But at least we've got something, so let's go and see if there's anything to it." Sanji lit a new cigarette and let the group around the corner to the side street.

Their first thought wasn't good. They walked on, taking in the weird little shops that no normal people would ever consider entering. When they came to the entrance of an old looking bar that Nami was pointing at, Sanji let out a sigh.

"Trust the shitty-captain to find the most suspicious looking place in town," he muttered and pushed the door open.

There were only two customers inside, a figure dressed in far too many scarves in one corner and an old drunk lying on the floor next to the door. Nami let herself shudder in disgust as she followed the others to the counter.

The owner looked at them with caution, his expression telling them he wasn't too happy about having this colorful group in his bar. He had that look of someone who was much younger than one would think, with sharp eyes, grey hair and dark circles under his eyes.

"Yo," Sanji greeted and sat down on one of the stools, "We're looking for someone and heard that you might be able to help." He went straight to the point, if what Robin had said about people here not wanting to talk was true, then beating around the bush would obviously not work. The bartender stopped in his tracks and looked at in annoyance.

"I don't know who you lot lookin' for but you can beat it. I ain't got nothin' for ya." He was about to turn and go to what they assumed was the kitchen behind a dirty curtain, but Sanji wasn't ready to give up yet.

"We're looking for a boy. He would be 19-years-old, a little shorter than I, black hair and a yellow straw hat on his head. Any chance he stopped by?" He was trying to keep his voice even, not wanting to scare the man off.

"Like I told' ya. I've got nothin' you need to know, haven't seen any lads in straw hats today."

The man was just reaching to lift the curtain out of the way and enter the kitchen, when a hand came up, took his collar in a vice grip and lifted him off the ground. Sanji looked at the green haired swordsman who was now growling in the man's face, holding something in his other hand.

"You don't know anything, huh? Then you wanna explain to us how our captain's bag ended up on your greasy floor?" The glare he was giving the bartender made the poor man shake in fear. And indeed, in his right hand Zoro was holding one of the crew's many back bags they used on their shopping trips. He threw it at Nami who opened it up and found the shopping list written in her own handwriting. Her fist tightened around the piece of paper as she fixed a hateful glare at the bartender.

"So," Zoro went on, "Let's try this again. You said you haven't seen anyone with a straw hat today. What about yesterday?" When the man being questioned hesitated his captor gave him a rough shake, and finally the man faltered, not seeing a way out of this.

"Fine, fine! He was here, yesterday afternoon. Had a drink and left, that's all." Obviously this wasn't the right answer as the man now felt himself being swung even higher in the air before he came crashing down on the counter, splintering it upon impact. A cold sharp blade of a sword suddenly pressed against his throat and all he could see was the green eye of a demon itself.

"_One_. _More_. _Try_." Zoro growled out as he did his best to hold himself back from slicing this old creep up right then and there.

"If I'm not happy with your answer, you can be sure you're not leaving this place in one piece." To show he wasn't at all bluffing, he let the sword slip a little and make a tiny cut on the man's exposed neck.

"O-okay. Look, I…" even now the bartender couldn't help but hesitate. Somehow he was caught between a rock and a hard place.

"I have two daughters and a wife, if I tell you I'll be putting them in danger…" He was cut off as a brightly burning foot came crashing down right next to his face, splintering the wood merely inches from his head. With wide eyes he followed the leg up to look at its owner. It was the blonde man who had talked to him first. His posture seemed cool with his hands in his pockets and shoulders slumped in a relaxed manner, but his one visible eye was promising death.

"You think we give a fuck about your family? We're pirates, we don't feel sorry for scumbags like you."

And now he knew he had absolutely no choice. He could either die here, leaving his family to support themselves, or he could tell these pirates what he knew and then take his family and run as far away as he could from this Kami forsaken island.

"Got it, I- I got it. It was Genzo. Your friend left here with Genzo." To the other Straw Hats this name meant nothing, but Robin lifted her gaze to look at the man and quickly strode to his side. She motioned for Zoro and Sanji to let the man sit up and after a few more shakes and a warning kick, they backed off. When the man had sat up and caught his breath, Robin found his gaze and held it in hers, not letting him get any ideas that she wouldn't be just as ready kill him as the others if need be.

"Genzo? As in the notorious slave trader?" She asked, her voice calm though her insides were twisted in fear. She had heard that name more than once while residing with the revolutionaries. It was a name that struck fear in many, and one of the top wanted men in the revolutionaries' hit list.

The other Straw Hats looked at her in confusion, then at the man again, hoping to get more information and catch in on what they were talking about.

"Yes, him. This town gets a lot of pirates, since it's the only island around this area, so they stop 'ere to restock. Genzo is well known for capturing some seriously high bounties and selling them off to the government or the tenryuubito."

Robin closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It wouldn't help anyone to kill this man right now. But she couldn't help it. No matter how much in danger he would be in, she didn't understand how anyone could just watch as a young boy was stripped of his freedom in the cruelest of ways right in front of their eyes. Robin couldn't possibly even imagine Luffy surviving a life of a slave. Her captain had a strong spirit and even stronger will, but without his freedom, he was just a kid.

"Yo, Robin-sis, who's this "Genzo" person?" Franky wasn't liking that somehow that cursed word "slave" had made it's way into the conversation. What happened to Luffy just getting lost or falling asleep somewhere?

Robin sighed and turned to address her friends. This was definitely information she wasn't sharing happily.

"During the two years I stayed with the revolutionaries, I heard a lot about slave trading and other crimes the government is willing to overlook for their own sake. All of the most corrupted government members, worst pirates and especially the names of the slave traders, all of them from marines to pirates and civilians mixed in that twisted underworld business. Genzo was the one name that came up most often. He is known all over the world, yet no one knows what he looks like. Well, those who do know won't talk. He's not just notorious for somehow managing to kidnap high bounty pirates and rare creatures, but also for… "training" them." Even the usually stoic raven cringed at this, the word leaving a bad taste in her mouth.

"Do… do we wanna know what that means?" Usopp asked, looking greatly disturbed.

"I'm not exactly sure… but the word goes that no matter how short a time he has his captives, somehow by the time they get to their new… masters… they are perfectly trained to behave like a slave would be expected to. Please don't ask me more." With that Robin shook her head, trying to get any unwanted images out of her mind and turned back to the shivering bartender still sitting next to her.

After one more deep breath, Robin asked the man to tell them exactly what happened.

_Flashback_

_The bartender watched as Genzo and his men walked in, gesturing him to bring them their regular drinks. The old man shuddered. He hated it when they came. They would sit there in the corner, and every time the door opened he would fear that this one would be the one they were going to take today. For years he had watched people disappear after leaving his bar, knowing exactly where they had gone: Hell. But he had to protect his family, and so he let it happen. _

_He lifted his gaze the moment he heard the door creak and took in the kid that entered. He might not be a slave trader himself, but watching from the side for years he knew what they were looking for and this boy was definitely doomed._

_He closed his eyes as the raven sat down on one of the stools and heard the shuffling as Genzo started to move. _'Here we go again', _he thought._

"_You seem troubled. Maybe I can help you with something?" The bartender cringed. There was no way anyone would fall for something so obvious. But the boy apparently was either extremely dumb or just very trusting, because he just smiled and started explaining his problems away._

_Fool. Unfortunate fool._

_The conversation went on, until he heard the words that meant it was time for him to do his part._

"_Can I buy you a drink?" Please say no, please say no… oh, well. What is one more, really?_

_He handed the drink to Genzo and watched with sad eyes as the man slipped a little round pill into it before passing it over to the younger man who happily drank it all._

_It didn't take long, it never did. Soon enough, the straw-hatted boy started swaying a bit, his movements uncertain and his eyes unfocused. He looked a bit green and a trace of panic was starting to show on his face. He lifted his arm, but it ended up just slapping back down onto the counter._

"_You okay there? You look a little ill. Maybe you should go get some air?" It was Genzo, trying to lure the boy out with a horrendous grin on his face. _'Please, Kami forgive me'_, the bartender thought as he followed the scene unfold in front of him. It always horrified him to watch the drug, or whatever else Genzo was trying at the time, take effect._

_But there must have been something already wrong with the boy or the drug was affecting him more than it did others, because he was obviously already too far gone to even understand a word of what was being said. Onyx eyes turned to look at Genzo, fear and confusion filling them._

_The bartender thought he heard the boy mutter the name "Chopper" as he almost fell of his stool. Then he got up, mumbling something, and stumbled out of the bar._

"_Alrighty, boys! Let's go make sure our merchandise is in good condition before we take him to the ship." And so they left, slowly following after the poor boy._

_End of flashback_

The Straw Hats stared in shock. The bartender was starting to get a little worried as they all just stood still, completely unmoving besides the occasional blink of an eye. The blonde man was the first to come back to reality.

"...You mean to tell us that this… this… scumbag drugged Luffy?" His voice was lowered into a dangerous whisper. "What kind of coward does that? You don't just… at least… he had _no chance at all!_ Everybody knows Luffy's way too trusting and the idiot probably let his stomach think for him again and… shit, if I had just given him food he wouldn't have been so hungry! And now he's…he's… _WHERE THE HELL IS HE?!_" Sanji totally lost his cool as he babbled on, looking more panicked by the minute.

"I… I don't know. I heard some commotion outside a little after that, I think your… umm... captain? Your… captain put up quite a fight even after being drugged." All the Straw Hats felt a small twinge of pride at this. That's their Luffy for you!

"But I don't understand! Wouldn't it be a lot easier to just use a drug that makes the victim fall unconscious? All of that sounds like it's just a lot of trouble." Chopper's mind was running a mile a minute, trying to figure out what kind of drug could've cause the symptoms the bartender had just described. He was suddenly glad that he hadn't given Luffy any medicine before that, who knows how the drug would've reacted to that! But then his professional mind tried to figure out how it all might've affected Luffy differently because he was still sick, and what if they kept giving it to him and there was addiction to worry about and side effects and…

The little reindeer went on overdrive, his eyes spinning and his body giving in, collapsing on itself. Franky quickly caught the doctor and tried to cool him off with a fan that came out of one of his fingers.

Now the bartender was very confused, noticing the tiny… raccoon(?) for the first time, just to witness it _talk_, and then immediately collapse.

"You heard the question. Answer it." Zoro spat out as the older man got lost in following Chopper's antics.

"Right, right… umm. What was it… Right! That's… That's one of the things that makes Genzo more feared than others like him. He isn't in it just for the money. He knows he can catch almost anyone he wants. For him it's all about the thrill of watching your victim at their weakest, giving them hope and then snatching it away. I've seen him do far worse before. Once he cut off a woman's leg before telling her to run…" The bartender looked absolutely horrified at the memory, his mind quickly returning to his house where his family was, praying to Kami they were still safe.

"Is that why they call him "The Hunter"?" Robin asked. She had heard Genzo be referred as that amongst a dozen other nicknames.

"Yes, horrible really. Who knows what he is doing to your friend right now, I don't know what happened after..-that's all I know, I swear!" Zoro was about to draw out his sword again when Franky spoke up.

"Yo, Zoro-bro, I think that's enough. He's told us everything he knows and the poor guy looks like he's about to have a heart attack."

"I agree." This time it was Brook, who'd been surprisingly quiet so far. It wasn't that he didn't care any less than the rest, quite the opposite, in fact. He was a gentleman and an honorable fighter, but when it came to his captain, the boy who had given him a new chance at life after he had lost all hope, Brook had become someone different. He wasn't sure he would be able to hold back, and so he had ventured to the kitchen of that dingy bar while still listening to the owner's story. There he made himself a cup of tea which he was now gripping tightly enough for the cup to crack and his bones to screech, the teacup being the only thing keeping his hands of off his sword.

"This man has risked his own life as well as his family's to tell us this story, I don't think he has much to lose now. So we should be thankful and head out. Luffy-san has been missing for quite some time now, and he could be getting further and further away from us as we speak. Yohoho." To anyone else Brook might've seemed like an expressionless skeleton, but his nakama recognized the underlying panic and urgency in his voice.

"Oww! This mister has been _SUUPAAA _helpful! Let's get going and bring Luffy-bro home!" Franky shouted as he too started feeling restless at the thought of his captain being taken too far away for them to be able to reach him.

Robin still wanted to give this man a good slap on his face for letting a slave trader just take Luffy in front of his eyes, but she knew Franky and Brook were right. Just like them, the bartender had people he wanted to protect, and that's all there was to it.

"Indeed. The one thing that I have learned about the underground slave market is that if Luffy is sold before we get to him, the chances of ever finding him again will become very close to zero." Her tone was grave, as she too wanted to get going as quick as possible. Just the fact that Luffy had already been with his captors for more than 24 hours was already an unbearable thought.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go!" Usopp was halfway across the room when Nami's voice stopped him.

"And where exactly are you going? I think we've been running in circles more than enough for one day. It's time to make a plan." Everybody turned to look at her, realizing only now that they had once again no idea where to look. They had all been so wrapped up with the thought of getting to Luffy _now_ that they hadn't thought about _how_. They now knew for sure that he was in trouble, but that didn't make them any closer to actually finding him.

"Well, sure, but… what's the plan? I'd rather be running around in circles than doing nothing! I can't just stand here while Luffy is… I don't know, being tortured or… trained or something!" Usopp was looking at Nami with a wild look in his eyes and gesturing around, not able to stand still a moment more.

"I know, Usopp! We all feel the same, okay? And I do have a plan, actually. It might not be a good one, but it's something." Now they were all looking at the navigator with hopeful eyes.

"Fine, I'm listening." Usopp sighed giving in, but refused to sit down, shuffling from one foot to another and fidgeting his fingers.

"Well… I think it's time we started acting more like pirates and became the scum most of them are. The only way of making any of the underground community to trust us is to blend in. But first things first, we can't keep running around looking like us anymore. I'm sure anyone related to this Genzo person already knows we're looking for him. So… it's time for a little makeover." Nami had an almost excited gleam in her eyes. It wasn't that she was excited to mingle with the worst of the worst, but if it meant getting closer to Luffy, she would do it in a heartbeat.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**And I think I'm stopping here. It's a bit confusing that things with Luffy and the rest of the crew are happening on different days, so in the next chapter we'll find out what happened to Luffy between getting caught and now, at the same time catching up with the timeline.**

**And it looks like the Straw Hats turn into gangsters when they're worried. Who knew?**

**Hope you liked it! It was a bit challenging to write this, with all the Straw Hats in the same place. I try to get all of their reactions and feelings in here, but it's hard. Hopefully they'll decide to go their separate ways soon and I can focus on just a few of them at a time. Maybe I'll suggest that to them. ^-^ Also I miss Luffy! As in writing him, and I mean in a non-drugged or depressed state. :D Have to figure out a way to do that in all this darkness.**

**-Ssus**

**Answers to reviews:**

**Queen Lily Tiger Ellyessa: **Yes! Some coffee. Can't survive without it. Thanks, Sanji! ^-^ Though it seems to me like Luffy is trying to steel my spot as the main character here! (wait, what?) And poor Zoro, don't feel bad! I'm sure Luffy won't blame you. :)

**Neko11: **I agree, people should be kinder to Luffy! (I'm ignoring the fact that I am the one who is responsible for his suffering.) Next chapter we'll find out more about what is happening to him! :) Hope the Straw Hats plan works and they can kick Genzo's ass, I hate him!

**FlightWulf: **Waah, you have no idea how much I laughed at the nick names for Genzo… x) That was hilarious! Thank you for that. But it looks like for now he's just gonna be Genzo. I couldn't come up with any genius way of changing it. ;(

I'm glad you liked it! I was a little unsure about it, some people think these sort of POVs are boring or uninteresting. But I thought it was important that you all knew what poor Luffy was going through. And I know it looked bad there for a moment, but I wouldn't do that to him! Just teasing y'all. :D And maybe in this chapter… or is it the next one? x) You found/will find out why these particular slave traders used the kind of drug they did, instead of just one that would've knocked him out cold. And yes, it is a bit sad that not getting raped is the highlight of your day… Let's hope he'll get a break soon! (Yeah, right.)

You know, your friend sounds a little a little bit like me. I take being a One Piece fan very seriously. I got my best friend into it too, though soon after I found out I should not have! She knows it's my weakness and uses it against me! Meanie. One time she sent me a text announcing that she had changed her name to Monkey D. Krista….. Maybe it's better I don't tell you how I reacted. x)

Movie 6 is also one of my favorites, right after the newest one. (The only movie ever where I cry for the bad guy! Though I didn't think he was really the bad guy…) Stepping out of the box really worked in that one.

It would be great if you would be willing to check the chapters! :O Though maybe I should PMs you, discussing it here might take a while. :P

I wonder if I answered to everything. Hope so! Thank you for another wonderful review! ^-^

**LU: **Thank you! ^-^

**GomoNoJutsu: **Here it is! And since I got this one out early, I think I'll still update on Sunday too, since I have a weekend off! YEY! Thank you for reviewing and following the story! :)

**Mia: **I am really happy you like it. I hope I can keep up the suspense. :D

**onepieceFan: **Sorry for the short chapter! This one is longer, and so is the next one. ;) Thanks for your interest and reviews too! They keep me going. ^-^

**carrotcakeo5:** I know, that Luffy is too trusting. But that's why we love him, so I guess we'll just have to keep saving him from all the trouble he gets in.

I'm glad you liked it, writing the last chapter was interesting. :D I love writing different points of views. And I know, all the suspense is keeping me on my toes too. x) As a writer, I don't like to plan ahead too much, it's more fun to see what my mind comes up with. :P Mysterious place, my mind I mean.

I love people who make stoic people go crazy! I can't do that, they intimidate me too much. :D I'm good at making other people go crazy though. We should join forces!

Thanks for another review, hopefully you'll stay interested!


	5. Chapter 5 - Realm of Power

**When Luffy Went a Little too Far – Chapter 5**

**Another chap! Here we finally find out more about Luffy's whereabouts and catch up with the timeline, after that everything should be a little clearer.**

**And just for those who aren't familiar with Japanese words, I use only a few that just sounds weird to me in any other language, like the devil fruit names and attacks, kairouseki (sea stone), Den Den Mushi (the snail phone? Or whatever it is in English :D) and tenryuubito (world nobles). I also use a Latin word here, the ships name Servisia comes from the Latin word 'servus' which means slave.**

**Warnings: Violence, swearing, drugs, kidnapping, some forms of torture**

**Disclaimer: Don't own OP or any of the characters.**

**Name of chapter: Realm of Power by Two Steps from Hell. Their music is just so epic! :P It inspires me a lot.**

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**Chapter 5 – Realm of Power**

The day of Luffy's capture, with Genzo the slave trader and his men...

That damn kid. Genzo was currently nurturing a split lip and a bruised cheek. He was getting more and more convinced that his new victim was indeed the infamous Straw Hat Luffy. He sure had a mean punch even in his weakened state. The boy obviously had a fever, his whole body had been warm to the touch, and that wasn't because of the drug. He also seemed to have trouble breathing, his breaths coming out in short, wheezing gasps.

Genzo smiled. This had to be his lucky day. Not only did he succeed in fooling a 400 million beli man, but it seemed that he was already weak and there was no sign of his crew whatsoever. But the slave trader's cheek was proof that he had underestimated the slender looking boy anyway.

'_Should've just used kairouseki from the start'_, he thought as he turned to command his men to chase after the runaway.

"He's disoriented and slow, it shouldn't be too hard to catch up to him. Get the shackles and guns ready though, we can't afford to lose any time. We need to get out of here before his crew realizes that he's gone. I'm not in the mood for a fight." And with that he started to slowly follow after his running men. Genzo was by no means a weak man, he could fight if he had to, but he liked to play dirty. It was easier to drug and threaten, to see people's faces when they were alone and confused, or realized they didn't have any choice. And he loved the chase.

Chuckling lightly, Genzo walked down the street. He took his time to look around, enjoying the fact that even in the busy hours of the afternoon there was always an empty path for him to walk through. This was exactly why he liked this particular town so much. And of course there was the beautiful irony of this island's name, Hinanjyo, which meant a place of shelter, a safe haven. It was perfect. He had been doing business here for years now, and every single person here knew him for what he was: a man you did not want to cross. They all knew what he did, they all knew where he was and what he looked like, yet none of them would ever speak. They were like well trained dogs, knowing their place, and that's how he likes it. Actually, that was the whole reason why he was in this business; he loved to see people's true nature in all of its pathetic cowardice. People didn't care for each other, as long as they were safe themselves. All and every kind of power that people had over each other in this world wasn't real, just an illusion. And he was creating one of these illusions himself.

Even though Genzo relished in the power he had over people, he was in no way a hypocrite. He knew he himself was right there with the rest of them. He knew all of his power was in the hands of his customers, and if it came down to it, he wouldn't hesitate at all to throw his men in front of the fire to save himself. The only difference between himself and the pathetic lot he was walking amongst was that he admitted this weakness and used it to his advantage. He wasn't a fool like those pirates, stepping out of their place and barking at their masters just to chase a ridiculous dream. They were all fools that deserved what was coming to them. And, speaking of fools, he's spotted a familiar yellow hat on the side of the main street, bouncing on the back of a raven haired boy who was crawling on the ground, trying to get away from the crowds. Genzo saw a few people who looked like they wanted to help the sick boy, but as soon as they saw him approaching, they all scattered like cockroaches. He smiled. The feeling of power was like a drug to him.

As he was left alone with his victim, he couldn't help but scoff at his men. They truly were hopeless. They had been running in front of him, and now where were they? He would have to punish them later. But first things first.

By now the boy had noticed that he wasn't alone and tried to stand up. His whole body was drenched in sweat and he looked like he might pass out any second. Yet he lifted his fists and growled at Genzo who couldn't help but smile. It was like looking at a wounded animal that was cornered without an escape. As weak as the other was, Genzo knew he couldn't underestimate him again. He had heard the stories of Straw Hat's incredible willpower and ability to get out of the most bizarre and hopeless situations. Not this time, though.

With a cruel smile on his face he pulled out his latest weapon. He had never tried it before, and he was ecstatic to give it a go. He took aim at his prey who seemed to be struggling to focus his eyes on the gun in his enemy's hand, but it was too late.

Genzo pulled the trigger, not once or even twice, but three times. He was aware that he could easily kill his prize, but he was too far gone in his own power high to worry about that. It was so fascinating to see the kairouseki bullet pierce through the skin of what was supposed to be bullet proof. By the third shot, the boy had sunk to the ground and didn't get up again.

"Oops. Looks like I got a little carried away." Genzo laughed as he put the gun away and walked over to the boy. He was still breathing, though faintly. Good, he was alive. '_I am definitely not done with this one yet_', he thought and examined over the teen's wounds. One of the bullets pierced a shoulder, the other one was lodged somewhere in the boy's stomach and the third one had grazed his right thigh. Nothing that couldn't be fixed.

It was then that his men finally came rushing over to the two, having heard the gun shots.

"Took you long enough." Genzo said in a threatening tone as he glared at his men. They all shivered and took a step back.

"Now, tie him up! There's a bullet in him so he can't use his power anyway, but I'm not taking any chances. Take him to the ship, we're setting sail tonight. I have a few calls to make." And with that he walked away, leaving the straw-hatted boy for his subordinates to take care of.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

With Luffy, on the slave ship Servisia, the next day...

Luffy had experienced the effect of kairouseki several times since he'd eaten the Gomu Gomu no Mi, but never before had it felt like this. He felt like he did when he fell into the ocean, his whole body was suffocating and all he wanted to do was to go back to sleep. But by now he was so hungry, his stomach wouldn't let him. And on top of that there was a piercing pain radiating from somewhere around his stomach that had nothing to do with food.

The raven-haired teen was slumped against the wall of a holding cell, his hands confined with the weakening cuffs above his head. They were suspended from a chain that attached to the ceiling. Luffy didn't have much to be thankful for right now, but he did thank whoever decided to leave the cuffs low enough so he could sit on the ground. It definitely made this at least a little more comfortable.

He had woken up not too long ago. He had tried to look around, but there wasn't much he could see. The cell he was in looked like it was entirely made out of kairouseki. '_What a waste,'_ Luffy thought, knowing that kairouseki didn't exactly grow on trees. It's not like he could do anything with the cuffs on anyway.

Only one of the walls had bars on them, the rest being solid. Through the bars he could see nothing but a metal wall of what he assumed was the inside of a ship. He could feel the slight swaying of the waves and hear the creaking of the hull somewhere below him. In other words, it took him roughly two minutes to become incredibly bored.

_GROOOOOWWWL_…. His stomach again. How long had it been since he last ate?

"Ooooooooooi?! Is someone there?! Oooooooooi!? Can you hear me? I'm hungry! Is it dinner time yet...? Saaanjiii…" His voice slowly faded into a whine as he felt weakness overcome his senses. Where the heck was his crew? And where the heck was _he_? Luffy tried to concentrate and remember why he was… well, _here, _wherever this was. But everything seemed so blurred and hazy he couldn't remember a thing. '_Oh, well. I'll just take a nap and wait for the other's to come_,' he thought as he let his eyelids fall shut.

...

A few hours passed with nothing but the creaking sound and Luffy's stomach growling, making it impossible to fall asleep. Very soon he started to whine again, his voice growing louder, and louder, and louder until…

"Will you shut up, you bastard? We're all hungry but I don't hear anyone else bitching about it!" Someone was yelling at him from behind the wall on his right side. This made Luffy perk up, excited at the thought of having someone else to talk to.

"Hey! Why didn't you answer earlier when I asked if there was anyone there? Oh well, that's okay. Who are you? I'm Monkey D. Luffy!" Luffy was so happy to be talking to someone besides himself that he couldn't help the grin on his face.

The answer that he got, however, came from somewhere on his left. It was a deep, manly voice, and the owner was laughing as his voice echoed off the walls, making the sound many times louder than it would've been.

"BWHAHAHAHHA! Monkey D. Luffy, huh? Boy, aren't you in trouble! Makes me feel almost happy for myself! BWHAAHAHAHAHA!" Luffy turned his head to the left, his eyes widening.

"You know my name, old man? And what do you mean I'm in trouble! My crew will be here any minute now to get me out. Maybe they can help you too. Were you captured too? Are you a pirate, old man? Where are we anyway?" The voice on the left laughed again, where as the one on the right just scoffed, apparently not interested in the loud youngster's shenanigans.

"BWAHAHAHAHA. You sure talk a lot, kid! I like that. BWAHAHAHAHA. And I'm sorry to tell you, but you are in trouble. This is the slave ship Servisia, and we left the Hinanjyo Island last night. I don't think your friends are coming. BWHAHAHAHAH!"

Now Luffy was confused. A slave ship? Why would he be on a slave ship? And what was that about leaving the Hinanjyo Island last night? Hinanjyo Island… that was that one…

"_AAAARGH!_ WHAT!? WHY DID WE LEAVE? WHAT DAY IS IT? WHERE ARE WE? AND WHERE'S MY HAT?"

Luffy was in full panic mode. How did he not notice his precious hat was missing? Must be the hunger, it was really hard to think on an empty stomach after all. And how did he get here? His crew always told him that he wasn't allowed to leave whichever town they were at, and now he wasn't even on the island anymore. Damn it, they were going to be angry. And that's when it all came back to him.

He remembered being sick, everybody being angry with him, going to town by himself to restock, sitting in that bar and… then what? He let out a furious growl, frustrated with himself.

"Aaaargh! I can't remember! How the heck did I end up here?!" He wasn't really talking to anyone, but the voice to his left answered anyway.

"BWAHAHAHA. My guess would be drugs. Genzo really likes to play dirty. And if you really are the Monkey D. Luffy, then he must have used every trick he has up his sleeve. Bwahaha, no way would he let a bounty like yours walk away. Bwhaha."

Luffy was getting more and more confused instead of understanding what was going on.

"Genzo? Who's that? And why would he want my bounty? Does he work for the marines? I thought this was a slave ship?" Boy, did he wish that Robin was here right now. She always explained things so that he actually understood them.

"Either you are still high as shit or you aren't very bright, idiot." It was the voice on the right again. Luffy scowled at that. He really didn't like this guy much, he was so rude!

"Let me spell it out for you. You were captured by one of the worst scumbags you can find in the New World, Genzo the slave trader and his men. We are all well on our way to hell itself, if we even make it that far. I've heard that not all of the people who enter this ship make it out alive to their _masters_. Simply put, you're going to be sold off to be some rich shit's boy toy."

Onyx eyes stared at the person he couldn't see from the wall. '_Is this guy an idiot?',_ Luffy thought.

"I don't want to!" There was a long silence and then…

"_THE HELL YOU MEAN YOU DON'T WANT TO!?_ No one wants this, but it's not like we have a choice!" This person obviously didn't have much patience if he lost this cool this quickly.

"I refuse, then." Luffy's tone was serious and determined.

"YOU CAN'T REFUSE! IT'S THE SAME THING…. _AAARGH! FORGET IT!_" The person finally gave up with a frustrated yell. The old man on the other side of Luffy was laughing at the two younger men, very amused by their exchange.

"Bwahaha. You sure are a funny kid!"

Luffy didn't understand what they were so worked up about. He was perfectly serious. There was no way he would agree to being a slave. He was going to be the King of Pirates!

With all the noise they had been making, none of them heard the door that had creaked open at the end of the hall.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

With Genzo, on the slave ship Servisia...

"Genzo, sir! There's a call for you."

'_Finally!,'_ He thought, quickly taking the Den Den Mushi from the man. He had been waiting for this call for hours.

"This is Genzo. What may this be about?" He used his charming voice, knowing these rich idiots loved it when they were being sucked up to.

"Genzo? Is it true? Do you have him!?" The voice on the other end of the line was screeching with excitement and fury at the same time.

"Why yes, indeed I do! Are you interested, sir?" Genzo didn't need to ask who they were talking about. He knew that by know all of his regular customers knew he had the Straw Hat. After getting to the ship, he had checked the wanted poster, making sure he had the right guy. And boy did he have a celebration when he confirmed the boy's identity. He could already smell the money he would get for him.

He was now twirling the well-known straw hat on his hand, smirking like crazy.

"Yes, I want him! I bet you have already gotten offers, but you know I'll be willing to pay far more than anyone else!" Genzo waited for a moment, this was where he had to play his cards right to win the main prize.

"Are you sure though? I have been offered quite a bit, as you can imagine. And the government is sure to find out soon, too, so I can only assume they would be more than willing to pay more than the 400 million the bounty offers. But don't worry, good sir, I have others, very fine individuals…" He let his voice trail of, sensing how the man on the other end was seething in anger by now.

"You know damn well I'm not interested in any others! I'm telling you I'll pay you more than the fleet admiral himself! You know I have it."

'_And the deal is done_,' Genzo smirked, as he made his final move.

"I'm sure you do. Let me get back to you, and don't worry, your name is at the top of the list." And with that he hung up, knowing well that the buyer was wrapped around his finger. This really was a good day.

They were already a day away from the Hinanjyo Island, and there had been no sign of the other Straw Hats. Things were going well for him indeed. Maybe it was time to celebrate a bit more.

Genzo took the hat with him and started walking towards the holding cells. He had made sure these particular cells were at the very bottom of the ship, just to make sure the screams wouldn't be heard by the buyers that sometimes visited his ship.

Genzo was more than pleased with the four occupants of his special holding cells. Straw Hat was, of course, his main prize at the moment, but he had not been lying when he told his customers that he had other good individuals too. The older man in the first cell was Barbaria "The Fighter". A well-known gladiator that would, despite his age, be great entertainment. Then there was the young feisty individual, whose bad trait was definitely his mouth. But he had an interesting devil fruit that many would be more than happy to play with, and besides, Genzo was more than capable of fixing a little problem such as a bad mouth. Then a young woman from the island of women, Amazon Lily. That one was a gem. It was well known that the Amazonians were secretive and well protected by The Pirate Empress's Warlord position. But he had caught one, and there were already many willing buyers for her too.

However, this time his source of entertainment would be the black haired boy that was currently staring at him from behind the bars. He knew that this one would be the hardest to tame, and he didn't have all too much time. Genzo waited for the younger one to make the first move. It turned into a long staring competition which either of them was willing to lose. Or so Genzo thought. What he got was not what he expected. The pirate captain bowed his head as low as he could while his hands were restrained and said:

"Please let me out."

Genzo was taken by surprise, he had to admit that much. "Let me out" was one of the most common things to come out of people's mouths in this situation, but it was always followed by an angry curse and threats, never a polite 'please'. It took the man a minute to gather himself before he started laughing, looking at the boy like he'd lost his mind.

"Gurahaha, and why would I do that?" He was sure the captain in front of him would snap soon and start yelling, but instead he just lifted his head a little and looked at Genzo in confusion.

"Because I asked nicely." Once again Genzo was taken by surprise. The boy reasoned like a little child. Well, with what he had seen of him so far, maybe he should've guessed. And if the boy really was as simple minded as he seemed, then his plan for now should go pretty smoothly.

"I see. I'm afraid I can't do that though. But I don't want to be rude, maybe there's something else I can do for you?" Here he let a cruel smile curve on his lips; he could already guess what the answer to his question would be. As on cue, the onyx eyes shot up to look at him with happiness.

"Really? So you were a nice old man after all! Thanks a lot. I'm hungry, bring me food." If Genzo had been a lesser man, he would've lost his cool at being called old or at the rude way the teenager asked for food. But he knew better and just smiled on, gesturing for the guard at the end of the hall to bring the tray of food he had requested to be brought down earlier.

"Of course, I can't believe I let you go hungry for this long. Here, this isn't much, but you can always have more after this… If you want." The boy completely missed the suspicious comment and once again looked confused, turning his head to the side as if asking: '_why wouldn't I want more?'_.

Genzo stepped into the cell and undid the cuffs around his prisoner's wrists before setting down the tray of food. The guard behind him looked a bit alarmed that his boss was just standing in a cell with a man who had a 400 million bounty on his head. But Genzo wasn't worried. He knew the pirate wouldn't be able to do much anyway. He watched as the boy clumsily took the small meal and ate the food in one go before lifting up the plate, asking for more. But the request died on his lips as his eyes went wide and he suddenly turned very green. Genzo took a step back and enjoyed the show.

The boy had started to shake and the plate clattered as it fell, breaking on the hard rock. Luffy was holding one hand to his stomach and used the other one to keep himself from collapsing to the floor. His face was scrunched up with pain as his body started to convulse and the food he just ate splattered onto the floor as he threw it up. But even when there was nothing left, the painful cramps wouldn't stop and the boy collapsed on his side, groaning and shivering. He ended up cutting his cheek on the broken plate, but that didn't seem to register to him at all as he curled into a tiny ball, holding his aching stomach.

After what seemed like hours to the suffering boy but was actually just 10 minutes, the cramps started to ease to a dull ache and he went still on the floor, panting as he tried to catch his breath.

Genzo gestured for the guard to clean up the mess and turned to leave. But the painful look on the Straw Hat's face had been so delicious, he decided to try one more thing. He took out the old hat from under his jacket and threw it on the floor in front of its owner's face. Then he snatched the sword from the guard's waist and plunged it through the hat, pinning it to the floor.

He was rewarded with a furious and horrified look, though all the boy could do was let out a little whimper as his treasure was being ripped in front of his eyes.

Genzo laughed at the pathetic sight of the pirate captain and stepped out of the cell. As he was leaving, he called behind him:

"Let me know if you want any more of that food. Gurahaha."

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**Yikes, that last part was not fun. I'm liking Genzo less and less, how dare he use poor Luffy's weaknesses like that?! Is it weird I hate the character I, myself, created? I could've made him nicer…**

**The middle part was very fun to write though. :D I love a happy and clueless Luffy.**

**Anyways, I have a feeling Genzo is only getting started. We'll see.**

**Review answers in the next chapter.**

**-Ssus**


	6. Chapter 6 - There Is No Plan

**When Luffy Went A Little Too Far – Chapter 6**

**Hey there!**

**This is a long one. Hope ya'll like it. :) A quick reminder of the on shots I've posted, vaguely related to this story, in case someone's interested. Now on with the chapter.**

**Warnings: Torture, Swearing**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.**

**Name of chapter: 'There Is No Plan' is from the soundtrack of Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Zimmer, once again. ;)**

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**Chapter 6 - There Is No Plan**

Luffy had never ever hated food so much. First he'd been sick and he didn't feel like eating for days. Now he'd finally gotten food and it made him feel like his insides were on fire. It wasn't fair! Whatever was in that food, it was not good. He still felt the painful spasms of his muscles cramping and protesting against the substance he had eaten with the meal. '_Definitely not a nice old man,' _he decided as he kept on breathing in and out, in and out…

"You okay kid?" It was the man on his left. It was almost weird to hear his voice so serious since he had done nothing but laugh so far. Luffy just groaned, he felt miserable. He was still curled up in a tight ball, his body shivering from the cold of the floor and the shock from the treatment he had just to top it all off, his treasured hat was still impaled to the floor. After the guard had cleaned up his cell, he'd just left, leaving his sword behind to make sure Luffy couldn't get his hat.

He really wanted to answer his fellow captive, if only to keep his mind off of things he didn't want to think about. But his throat was still burning from throwing up and coughing and he knew he wouldn't be able to say anything understandable. Sleeping was also out of the question, and therefore he had nothing to stop his mind from wandering to subjects he would rather leave untouched.

He thought back to his nakama and felt a pang of guilt. They must be really worried by now, he'd been gone for a day and a half and surely they would be doing everything they could to find him, right? But then he remembered the dreams he still had of them all disappearing in front of his eyes, remembered the utter feeling of failure at disappointing them as a captain. In the dreams he could hear all of their voices, accusing him, blaming him. Until two days ago, they had been just that; dreams, nothing more. But then there was that fight…

Luffy shook his head and tried to stop his train of thoughts. He shouldn't go there, he was stronger than this. He believed in his crew and knew they were coming. He was stronger than this…

It was just very hard to be strong when he felt like he did. He started to move around a little, feeling shocks of pain course through his body. Now that he wasn't tied up anymore, he could really take a good once over of himself. He noticed the cut on his thigh that looked like it was almost healed. His left shoulder was bandaged and it burned every time he tried to move his arm. He tried really hard to think back and vaguely remembered the sound of a gunshot. Three gunshots, actually. The shoulder wound must've been from one of them. Slowly, he lifted his better arm up and ran his fingers over the bandage. When he pulled his hand back, he saw that his fingers were covered in fresh blood. '_Still bleeding,'_ he thought, and even he knew that wasn't good.

He looked at the cut on his leg again and decided that it was most likely bullet number two. But then where was the third one? He was carefully moving his limbs around to see where else hurt when the voice from the left spoke up again.

"Seriously, kid. You're making an old man worry here. I may be a fighter but there's only so much stress my heart can take. Bwahaha. It was a little less dull here with all your blabbering. Bwahaha." Luffy turned tired eyes to look at the wall on the left, wishing he could see the man. He was starting to think that maybe he was just making things up and there wasn't anyone there. He had been drugged after all, right? He remembered Chopper telling him that some drugs could make you see and hear things, so maybe that's what this was. But then again, it had been the old man who had told him that he had been drugged in the first place, so how could he be sure that was even true?

The raven shook his head again; all this thinking was giving him a headache.

"Huh, and I thought that a man with a 400 million bounty on his head would be strong. Guess I was wrong. If you can't take something like some half-assed drugs then I doubt you'll make it out of this ship alive. Genzo's just getting started. Then again, now that it's calm and quiet, maybe we can all just die in peace." Luffy scowled at the other voice once more. It wasn't helping him at all. It was actually really starting to irritate him.

"Shu- shut up..." was all he could get out, and even that was just a horrible raspy whisper.

"Bwahaha! So you're alive! You could've said something earlier. And don't mind him, he's really a good kid. I'm Barbaria, by the way. And the rude one on your right is Hiroshi-kun."

"HEY! Who are you to introduce me to people, old man?!" Hiroshi was once again yelling and certainly not helping Luffy's growing headache.

"Hiroshi? I think Hidoi sounds better." (Note: Hiroshi can mean tolerant, Hidoi means awful, horrible, violent) He mumbled tiredly, and all he gained with the remark was more yelling.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING HORRIBLE, HUH!? Just wait til' I get my hands on you, you bastard!" The older man was laughing again; these two really made this day a little better.

"Bwahaha! I think you just proved him right, Hidoi-kun!" (Meaning violent here) The other one was reduced to angry muttering as he gave up, not wanting to fuel things up any more than he had already.

Luffy on the other hand was starting to get a little bit of his strength back, and shifted so he was lying on his back. A horrible pain coursed through his stomach as he straightened out, a pain that couldn't be from just the cramps. Oh well, now that he got his voice back, almost, he had something to distract himself with.

"Say, Barba… Bara… Baribari* no ossan, how come you sound so energetic?" Luffy had gotten a little annoyed by Hidoi's remark about him being weak, and wondered why the other two sounded like they were perfectly fine.

"Bwahaha! Don't get me wrong, kid. I might sound energetic, but if you could see me you would know I'm not much better off than you. Though now that you're here, it might be that the rest of us will have it a little easier. Bwahaha! I really do feel sorry for you, kid. Those friends of yours better hurry up, cuz' like Hiroshi-kun said, Genzo is only getting started with you."

At the mention of his friends Luffy's thoughts quickly went back to the Thousand Sunny and the fight. He tried his best to convince himself that his friends had just been tired and didn't mean what they said. Yeah, that must've been it, Nami had mentioned something about fighting for their lives…

His thoughts were once again interrupted, this time by the creaking of that door at the end of the hall. It was the guard from earlier, though he wasn't alone. The other guard kept on walking past the raven's cell, but the other one stopped right in front of it, opening the door.

"The boss wants to see you, Straw Hat. Get up!" Luffy did his best to push himself up, but quickly collapsed back to the floor as his shaking limbs gave in. The guard scoffed in annoyance and reached out to grasp a fistful of Luffy's hair. The raven cringed at the pain, but he was powerless to stop the guy as he was dragged out of the cell.

Once he was out, he saw that the other guard had gone over to the furthest cell in the room. He was currently holding a girl that stared at Luffy with tired but curious eyes. The boy couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't said anything before when the rest of them were talking. Also, now that he really looked at her, there was something vaguely familiar about her.

However, he didn't have much time to think it further as he felt himself being lifted up to his feet and with a painful push to his back he started to stumble towards the door.

He tried to get a quick look at Baribari no ossan as he went by, but all he had time to see was a white mane of hair and beard and a bloody face.

As they went on, Luffy tripped on his feet several times, and every time he was violently pulled back up by his hair. He wasn't sure where they were now, he had lost track of the turns after the first two lefts. Or maybe he just wasn't good with directions...

They seemed to be going up, walking up flights of stairs one after another. Luffy was pretty sure they were doing this on purpose to make it harder for the two captives because he had seen an elevator that seemed to work perfectly fine as someone stepped out of it on one of the floors.

After climbing up and up, they finally stopped in front of a door. The natural light filtering through the room burned Luffy's eyes after being in a dimly lit cell for so long. The door in front of him opened and he was pushed in. He fell right on his hands and knees, letting out a gasp of pain as he hit the floor. He wondered why a simple bump like this hurt so much, and suddenly had a déjà vu of thinking the exact same thing before.

The door behind him was slammed shut and he was left in the room alone. They must've taken the girl somewhere else then.

He took this time to look around the room. It looked almost like an infirmary, but not quite as nice or as comfy as Chopper's. The bed in the middle of the room didn't have any cushions on it, the needles and other weird medical stuff was clearly out for anyone to see, whereas the Straw Hat's doctor always made sure nothing intimidating was displayed in front of his patients.

Looking at the scalpels and knives, Luffy wondered why they would leave him alone in a room full of possible weapons. He could easily choose any of them and surprise the Genzo guy or whoever came in through that door and then escape. Surely they weren't dumb enough to not realize this?

Despite this thought, Luffy would never miss a chance at escaping. What kind of pirate would he be if he just sat there and let such an obvious opportunity go to waste?

Slowly, he crawled towards one of the tables next to the wall on his left, shaky limbs making it hard to do even that much.

It then occurred to him that he should not be feeling this weak. He wasn't handcuffed and he also wasn't in the kairouseki cell anymore. Yet he felt like he was crawling through a pool of seawater and not just plain air. So why did his body feel so heavy and weak?

He'd only gotten halfway across the room when he heard the door being opened again. With weary eyes he turned to see who had joined him. To his horror, it was the Genzo guy from before, and with him was someone who looked like a doctor; a skinny guy with big classes and a white jacket.

"Ah! Straw Hat! I'm terribly sorry that I had to summon you again so quickly after our first meeting, but I'm sure you understand that I have to make sure my merchandise stays alive. At least, some of them." He smirked in that cruel way that Luffy had seen on his face before and it made him feel uneasy. Then he felt the doctor tug on his sleeve and gesturing for him to get on the bed. Luffy gave the man an incredulous look. Did he really think he would be crawling on the ground if he had the strength to climb on a bed?

The doctor looked confused and quickly glanced over to Genzo who rolled his eyes and walked over to the boy on the floor. He took a good hold of his hair before swinging him up and onto the bad. Luffy let out an involuntary cry and wondered what was with these people and pulling on his hair. Did they want him to go bald or something?

"Be quick, please. I don't have much time and I have a few others that need my attention too." Genzo instructed the other man as he sat down on a chair in the corner and just watched.

The doctor hastily got to work, unwrapping the bandage of the to-be-slave's shoulder, cleaning the wound with something that stung badly as it bubbled, and then finally rewrapped it neatly. Luffy just laid there, knowing that he didn't have the strength to fight back right now, and the doctor was really just helping him, so he had no reason to struggle.

It wasn't until the busy man lifted up his shirt and pressed against his stomach before he made his first protest. The pain was unbearable and Luffy quickly sat up, swatting the doctor's hand away. He was trying to take deep breaths and willed the pain to go away, when suddenly the doctor was there again, urging him to lay back down. But the captive didn't feel so cooperative anymore. He used his good arm to push the white-coated man hard enough for said man to fall on his rear on the floor. The doctor looked at him with wide eyed before turning to Genzo who was slowly getting up from his chair in the corner.

"Oi, oi, are you really going to refuse the little help you've been offered? Maybe you haven't realized it yet, but your situation is bad enough that you'll die very quickly if you choose to irritate me. It'd be a shame if you accidentally died before I've received my payment. But hey…" The slave trader was now grinning madly above Luffy, taking a hold of the boy's throat and squeezing hard.

"…If I remember right, the wanted poster says "dead or alive". No matter what, I will get my money. How I'll get it, I guess that's up to you." Without warning the bigger man slammed his captive on to the bed with insane strength, and using the hand that wasn't currently squeezing the life out of the poor boy, he pulled restraining straps from both sides of the bed and closed them tightly around the wheezing raven's wrists.

Luffy's vision had just started to blur, white spots accumulating over his vision when the pressure on his throat finally released and he greedily gulped down air into his battered lungs. While he coughed and wheezed he failed to notice that the doctor was back, once again lifting his shirt. He did, however, feel the blinding pain as pressure was applied to the left side of his stomach, and he ended up letting an involuntary yelp slip through his lips. What the hell…?

"Umm, Genzo-san, it appears the boy's wound is infected… I… I don't know what I should… He still has a high fever and the whole area here is red and puffy, it looks pretty bad… Maybe we could take it out…"

"NO! We're not taking it out. I thought I'd made it very clear that the client I have in mind doesn't particularly care for his powers, so it's better if he can't use them. Now, I don't care how you do it, but I'm sure you, as a doctor, know how to take care of something as simple as an infection!" Genzo sounded like he was starting to get impatient, and the doctor looked like he was ready to run for his life.

"Righ…Right, of course…" And then there were tubes connected to Luffy's arm, clear liquid invading his veins. But he didn't care about that, he was looking at Genzo in confusion, wondering what exactly they weren't going to "take out".

The slave trader seemed to notice the boy's questioning look. With a calm expression that made Luffy cringe in alarm the man brought two fingers down to the boy's sore stomach and slowly pressed down. The raven's eyes went wide and he would've screamed if his breath didn't get caught in his throat. Instead he squeezed his eyes shut tightly, trying ride through the waves of pain that tortured his whole body. The amount of pain he was in was seriously starting to scare him. He'd gone through much worse without so much as batting an eye, so why was it that he found himself showing all these signs of weakness?

"You wanna know what it is?" Genzo asked, still in that calm, expressionless manner that made Luffy nervous because so far all he seen on his tormentor's face so far had be a menacing smirk. The boy who was being questioned only groaned in answer, not really caring to hear what it was that hurt him as long as those offensive fingers stopped what they were doing!

"I don't know if you remember, but unfortunately I had to resort in some rather violent manners when capturing you since you insisted on fighting until the very end. As you might've guessed by now, I used a few kairouseki bullets. They work like magic! I will definitely be investing in those in the near future."

Luffy couldn't help but wonder how this man could just keep on talking in such a conversational manner while torturing someone. He tried his best to focus on the words he was hearing, but the pressure applied by those fingers just kept getting heavier and heavier, leaving him gasping for breath and blinking back the moisture that was building up behind his eyes. No matter what, he absolutely refused to cry!

"Well, anyway, I got a little carried away and fired a few extra shots on you. However it turned out to be a good thing for me, because this…" here he placed his whole hand on the aching stomach of the boy below him and pushed down hard, relishing in the scream that finally escaped his mouth.

"…this is one of those bullets, and I asked the good doctor here to leave it in. Your future master was very excited about the idea of not having to worry about your little rubber ability or kairouseki cuffs all the time. Of course this is most likely the first time anyone has ever attempted to keep kairouseki inside of a devil's fruit user's body, and it does seem you're not doing very well so far."

Finally, finally the pressure was gone and Luffy let his body relax on the hard surface of the bed, slowly taking in shaky breaths and trying his best to glare at the source of his current predicament. He was starting to seriously hate this man who obviously didn't have even a trace of humanity in him. Said man looked him in the eyes and Luffy felt almost relieved to see the smirk back on his face.

"Like the doctor said, apparently the bullet is causing an infection. I would also say that it will keep making you weaker and weaker, since the long term effects of kairouseki have been tested before with some gruesome results, and that was only from the cuffs that barely touch the skin, so I imagine the next few days will be very miserable for you. I would even guess that in the end it might kill you. Lucky for me, your buyer wasn't planning on keeping you alive for long anyway. A waste, I would say, with such a fine body you have, someone else would've been happy to have you as long time entertainment. But in the end, that's not really my concern. Whoever bids the most money wins, simple as that. Now why don't you let the doctor help you and make sure you stay alive for a while more." Genzo ended his little speech with a sweet smile that looked horribly wrong on his face.

Luffy just stared at the man with a frown on his face and processed the information he just received. He could feel the doctor hooking more IV lines on his arm but paid no heed to that. All he could really understand from the slave trader's speech was that there was a kairouseki bullet stuck inside of him and apparently it was making him sick. '_I'm really getting tired of being sick, it sucks!,' _He thought with a pout on his face.

But whatever it was, he was sure that Chopper would be able to fix it in no time. He trusted his little nakama and had no worries whatsoever that he couldn't recover. The thought of his friend brought a small smile to his face which was quickly interrupted by a blow that made his head snap sharply to the side and slam against the bed. It took him a little while to process that Genzo had just hit him across the face and that it'd hurt far more than it should have.

The doctor had paused what he had been doing and was now staring at his boss with frightened eyes. Said boss was inspecting the expression on his captive's face, carefully calculating the younger man.

"Men who hear they're about to die don't usually smile. You surprise me, Straw Hat. Either you're insane, or you're still having daydreams about your friends coming and rescuing you." Luffy blinked a few times before the smile returned on his face, this time bigger and brighter.

"...I know they're coming and when they do, they'll kick your ass." He stated this like it was a very simple fact without a trace of hesitation or doubt in his voice.

Genzo on the other hand was starting to slowly lose his patience with the raven haired pirate. In his experience, even the strongest men faltered into desperation when hearing that they were about to die, or at least they would get angry and scream insults at their captor for taking away their freedom, hurting their pride in the process. But this boy, he just kept smiling after everything and that clear, unwavering trust in his eyes was making Genzo very angry. His newest victim went against all of his ideas of people being sorry, pathetic creatures. But then again, maybe he could use this against him, as long as he managed to keep his cool. This boy was really testing his limits.

"I see. I do feel sorry for you. Such illusions you have in that simple mind of yours. The longer you have them the more it hurts when they're shattered, and since I think I'm done being nice to you, I'm happy to announce that I get to be the one to do the shattering. You see, you've been gone for a day and a half, and your so called "_nakama_" haven't even begun searching for you."

Genzo waited for a reaction, and just as he predicted, the boy wasn't ready to give up his hopes just yet.

"You can say that, but they'll be here soon." Luffy said with a nod, refusing to be fooled by this man's words.

"Gurahaha. Such strong faith you have in them. If only they were as loyal as you think. If it's proof you want, I have it." Here the slave trader walked to a table next to the chair he had been occupying earlier and picked up the Den Den Mushi that was quietly lying there.

Narrowing his eyes, Luffy followed the man's movements carefully, wondering what he was up to. He was starting to feel tired, probably from whatever medicine had been put in him. The whole not eating thing didn't exactly help and the kairouseki in his body must've had some effect on him too. His vision started to blur a little but he shook his head and focused back on the man that was now waiting for someone to pick up at the other end of the line.

After a few rings and a 'ka-cha' an unfamiliar voice filled the room.

"Genzo, sir!" The voice greeted. Genzo took a moment to smirk at the captain who was watching him carefully before answering.

"Ah, Yamato, right? I have a little favor to ask. Do you still have the Straw Hat's ship in sight?"

"Yes, sir! I'm looking at it right now. How can I help, sir?"

Luffy became a little panicked at the thought of one of these guys being close enough to Sunny to actually _see_ it. Was his crew in trouble?

"Wonderful! If you don't mind, I'd like you to live stream your view. A certain pirate captain I have here is having some trouble believing me without proof." Once again he smirked at said captain as he waited for a reply.

"Of course, sir. Just turn on your receiver and we'll be all set."

Genzo thanked the man on the other end before ending the call. He walked over to a screen and pushed a few buttons,bringing the screen to life. At first they could see nothing but a blur, but in a few seconds the view changed. It appeared to be a view of some rocks as somebody was obviously fumbling with the Den Den Mushi that was streaming the video. But then the camera was turned and the three people in the room clearly saw the Thousand Sunny anchored close to the shore. The view shook a little before zooming in closer.

Luffy continued to watch angrily, assuming Genzo was planning to do something to his nakama. That would be completely unforgivable, and he even prepared himself for a fight if needed be. But nothing happened, the video just continued to show the Thousand Sunny bobbing gently in the waves.

After a while a few figures could be seen on the deck. Luffy focused his eyes on them and quickly realized it was Zoro and Sanji, obviously fighting over something. It didn't take long for a certain orange haired woman to step in and knock them both over the head. The captain chuckled a little, happy to see that his crew was fine. His chuckle didn't go unnoticed by Genzo who was getting more and more furious by the second. That was not the reaction he'd been hoping for.

"You really are an idiot, aren't you? Don't you have any idea what any of this means!?" He was waving his hand in front of the screen and looking at the Straw Hat with angry eyes.

"Yeah, my ship and my nakama are alright. And don't you dare hurt them! No one hurts my friends." At the end Luffy's tone snapped from happy and carefree to serious and threatening so quickly the doctor beside him took a step back.

Genzo looked at the boy for a moment before bursting out in laughter.

"Gurahahahaha! You've got to be the densest person I've ever met. Let me help you clear the picture here a little. This is a live stream, meaning everything we see on the screen is actually happening right now, which means that while you are here, being tortured and shipped off to be a slave, your friends are doing… well, nothing apparently." _Finally! _Genzo thought as he saw the smile on the boy's face disappear, fading away and taking the threatening glint with it. The slave trader looked very closely how those onyx eyes looked at the screen with a frown. The eyes wavered a little, going back and forth between the view of the Straw Hat crew and Genzo. Many emotions flickered on the boy's face before only one took over: determination. Luffy looked at his captor in the eyes and announced with heavy certainty:

"They will come." At this point Genzo's fury skyrocketed, taking him only two long strides to get to the bed where the boy was still lying, defying him like no one ever had. He took a hold of the boy's arm and pulled with all his strength. A satisfying scream filled the room as the raven was forcefully lifted from the bed, the restraints strapped over his wrists protesting. The other one quickly snapped in two, but the other one was on tighter and ended up lasting long enough for the trapped boy's shoulder to pop loudly and wrist twist with a sickening crunch.

Luffy felt like his left arm was being ripped apart. The newly wrapped wound on his shoulder was once again bleeding as it was forcefully ripped open. He heard a pop and the pain in his shoulder intensified greatly, making an involuntary scream rip from his already hoarse throat and when he heard the horrible crunch of bones breaking he could only assume it was his wrist, but he could barely feel it from the all-consuming pain he was in already. It was probably good too, he hadn't broken any bones since before he'd eaten his devil fruit and he wasn't sure he wanted to be reminded of how much it hurt. '_Damn kairouseki!,'_ he thought weakly through the pain before he felt himself flying, then there was a loud crash and the feeling of being crushed.

Genzo had flung the Straw Hat across the room with enough power for the lithe body to go through the wall of a closet before falling to the ground, a pile of rubble and wood burying the raven haired pirate. There was an animalistic glint in Genzo's eyes as he stepped over the broken pieces of what once was a door and reached his hand to pull his captive out from under the pile the remnants of a wall. He balled his fist tightly and brought it to the boy's face, making said boy crash to the floor again.

Luffy felt ashamed for being this weak. He could do nothing but let himself be flung around and beaten as his captor unleashed his fury on the raven. But Luffy wasn't about to give up. Even if he couldn't fight, he still had his pride as a pirate and his trust in his friends. He used the last of his strength to turn his head towards the seething man standing above him.

"...Y-you can hit me all you want, but no matter what, I refuse to be anybody's slave. My nakama will come for me..." And with that, his eyes slipped shut and he fell into unconsciousness.

Genzo was breathing heavily as he watched his captive's eyes close and body go limp. He quickly ran a hand over his face and closed his own eyes.

He couldn't believe he had let this… _vermin_ rile him up like this. He never lost his cool, it just wasn't him. Yet somehow this boy knew exactly how to push his buttons just right to bring out this mindless animal from him. Or, now that he gave it a little thought, knowing Straw Hat, he'd most likely done none of it on purpose, which made it that much worse. It was almost like getting angry at a child who told you they knew better than you. _Pathetic_.

On top of that, beating the boy wasn't even working. '_That's a 400 million man for you...', _Genzo thought, begrudgingly feeling a small fragment of respect for the pirate captain for living up to his reputation. But now was not the time for admiration. With his brain working properly again, the slave trader knew exactly what would be the best way to hurt this boy. In the back of his mind, he knew that he didn't really need to hurt him at all. The person who was going to buy the boy had specifically said they had no intention of doing anything but to see him lose his life in their hands, so no 'training' was required. But since the Straw Hat was just gonna die anyway, there was no reason why the slave trader couldn't have a little fun with him himself. With a deep breath Genzo called to the guard he knew was standing outside the room.

"You, escort the doctor to attend to the Amazonian. I'll take this one back to his cell myself."

He was just about pick up the unconscious boy when he heard the annoyingly high pitched voice of the doctor.

"Ex- Excuse me, Genzo, sir. The- the IVs didn't have much time to drip, the- the boy really needs… needs the medicine and his shoulder is heavily bleeding again…" His voice faded away as stormy eyes silenced him without a word, and all the doctor could do was watch as his supposed patient was flung over the boss's shoulder and disappear out of the room.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**This chapter turned out to be a bit longer. ^-^ I'm sure you guys don't mind. :D**

**Thank you for all the reviews again! I'm actually taking all your suggestions into consideration. I've come to the point in this story where there could be many different ways to go. One thing is for sure: this will be longer and more epic than originally planned. At this point it would be almost criminal to just end it simply and predictably. Hopefully I can pull it all off. :P**

***Explanation to the nickname Luffy gave Barbaria: Baribari can be the sound effect for somebody getting all energetic to do something. Ossan means old man.**

**Review answers****:**

**Queen Lily Tiger Ellyessa: **NO! Zoro and Sanji don't fight, your captain needs you! And yes Nami, there will be some beli involved, but I'm really not sure if you will like the way that happens. O.O Please don't kill me!

**RobinLynnSpade: **I know! I should've never made them touch his hat, that is unforgivable. :( Also I didn't get to write any fun, clueless Luffy here… Darn it! :D

In this chapter it seems the Straw Hats are doing nothing at all! What is up with that? Hopefully we will find out in the next chapter. O.O

**Fi Suki Saki: **To bury Genzo alive under the sea sounds like a good plan to me! Sanji will definitely have some trouble making sure Luffy can eat well again after this. Horrible! .

And I agree, I also hate Luffy bashing stories! He wouldn't do that. :( At least not on purpose. And I blame the crew too, especially in this chapter! What on earth do they think they are doing! If they don't get to Luffy soon, I will have to bury THEM alive under the sea… Fuhuhu…

And yes, the misunderstanding in the previous chapter was intentional. :D I had you all fooled! (Maybe I should tone down the power speech a little).

Thank you for your review, I read them all carefully and appreciate every single one, whether they are good or bad. ^-^

**Neko11: **I laughed at Luffy's outburst too… It still makes me laugh. x) Maybe I'm just tired. :P But I do want to write more happy Luffy, yet this seems like a pretty dark story. O.o I am contradicting myself.

And that darn Genzo, he will definitely get what he deserves if I have any say in it!

Thank you for reviewing, hope you liked the new chapter. ^-^

**FlightWulf: **Oh dear! Two looooong reviews… O.O I love it! ^-^

I know the Straw Hats turned out to be pretty violent, huh… Maybe you shouldn't mess with them! I really think this is how they would react if Luffy was really in danger. The few times he has been in a life threatening situation there wasn't much the others could do. But if they are ready to die for him, they will also kill for him! At least that didn't happen here. ^-^ And who knows, maybe they were just playing the bartender. O.o I love badass Straw Hats too!

POSITIVE STUFF! (Hopefully you read the chapter before this, because it's spoiler time if you didn't! :D) It looks like Luffy won't be raped… maybe? Possibly? Just killed… You know 'cause that is so positive… Forget I said anything.

Nooooow, to the other review… :D

I promise Genzo will suffer in one way or another! Please don't send me angry letters! . And NO! The way YOU describe Luffy being shot makes me sad! :D Not that it didn't originally, but really, now I'm more worried about that damn kairouseki than any bleeding.

Love the Dr Seuss reference there. x) I am almost ashamed to say I know the Cat in the Hat by heart… We made it into a play with my host kids… I was the cat. :P So much fun I have on a daily basis. Good thing I love my job!

Alright, I gotta be done again before I start babbling complete nonsense. :) Thank you so much for the reviews again, I almost want to tell you NO when it comes for betaing 'cause I don't want to lose a good reviewer! :D

**Tebolizer: **Thanks for the review, especially for noticing that typo! I sometimes have trouble with words that sound or look almost the same. :D Especially 'meet' and 'meat'. English is a weird language, whereas my native language is not… (Says the girl who has trouble forming Finnish sentences). .

Anyway! I love Straw Hats when they get serious, they should do that more often. Not that I don't care for the silliness any less. ^-^ If you like pirate-like Straw Hats, maybe the next chapter is one for you. ;)

Also, I guess I'm describing the pain more in detail here, hopefully you are in the mood this time. :D Honestly I don't like writing painful/torture scenes much, but I do like to read them. I just feel so bad since I have the power of making it better. :P

**GomoNoJutsu: **Yaharoo! Thank you for your review! In this chapter we still didn't find out who wants to buy Luffy, but we kind of found out why. And I am planning for something epic, we'll see how well that will turn out. :D

**LU: **Good! Hate him, hate him! That is the whole idea. Maybe if we all hate him enough he will just magically disappear… O.O

**OnepieceFan: **Right! Poor Luffy… even more so in this chapter. I'm sure he'll get a break soon, there is only so much that can happen to one person in two days!

Also, this one is the longest chapter so far! And I'm pretty sure the future chapters are too. ;)

**sunnyday: **I do listen to you! I am very excited to read about anything the readers think. I actually have a lot of different plans for this story, now I have to decide which way to go, so readers' opinions are helpful. :D

It will definitely be something glorious and epic! I love those scenes where the Straw Hats are total bad asses and show the world they won't be stopped easily, rookies or not. ;)


	7. Chapter 7 -The Pirate That Should Not Be

**When Luffy Went A Little Too Far – Chapter 7**

**Another long one. Other chapters won't be quite this long. I got over excited with this one.**

**Warnings: I'm writing this afterwards and don't remember anymore. xD but umm… violence, drinking… stuff like that. Nothing too bad.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own OP or any of the characters.**

**Name of chapter: Comes from the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie. **

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**Chapter 7 – The Pirate That Should Not Be**

With the Straw Hat crew, on the Thousand Sunny...

"NO, YOU _CANNOT_ GO! How many times do I have to tell you, you're way too obvious! There's no way to make you not look like you! How many living skeletons do you think there are around here!? And the same goes for you, Chopper! The only talking reindeer people've ever even heard of is you, and we can't be found out!" Nami was quickly losing her patience with her complaining and whining crew mates. She had taken charge of transforming everyone and handing out jobs according to her plan, but so far most of them were unhappy with their parts.

"But Nam_iiiii_! I wanna help too!" Chopper groaned. He really wanted to wear one of those fun looking costumes that Nami was carrying, it wasn't fair that everybody else got to dress up!

"But Doctor-san, you are helping. Making sure Sunny is safe and ready to go is very important right now. And what would we do if our amazing doctor got hurt when we needed him? We're counting on you to make sure Captain-san is alright when we get him back." Robin was smiling kindly at the little reindeer who blushed and started dancing happily.

"You bastard! Praising me won't make me happy at all, idiot!"

Nami sighed in relief and gave a thankful smile to the older woman. She just didn't have the same kind of patience as Robin.

"Okay, now that we've gotten that all figured out, let's go through this one more time, and I need all of you airheads to listen carefully, because anyone who asks me any questions after this owes me 10,000 beli!"

"Haaaaaai, Nami-swaaaaan! You're so beautiful when you give out orders! Tell me anything and I'll do it!" Sanji was twirling around and was completely ignorant to the annoyed look was receiving from the object of his affections. He did, however, notice that Zoro was staring at him sternly as he growled "Sit".

Sanji stopped in his tracks and got up in the sword man's face.

"What'd you say, you shitty marimo?"

"I thought you were taking orders. So sit."

"I'm not a freaking dog, and who the hell ever said I would listen to anything you have to say!?"

"You sure act like a dog, being a bitch and all."

"You wanna fight, you moss-headed freak?"

"What the hell did you just call me, you damn swirly brow?"

"You heard me, you-" _BAM! BAM!_

"I said I needed you all to _LISTEN_!" Nami was seriously starting to lose her patience. Didn't they care at all that Luffy was missing? They were wasting time!

"Nami-san, give them a break. They're just worried and frustrated, and this is their way of dealing with it. Yohohoho! And speaking of worrying, it would ease mine greatly if you would be so kind as to show me your panti-" _BAM!_

"Just when I thought you were actually saying something sensitive..." Nami muttered and turned away from the skeleton now laughing on the floor.

"As I was saying, the plan. Franky, Brook, and Chopper are all going to stay on Sunny and move her away from the port to the South of this island right here," she said, pointing to a rough map of the island she had quickly drawn.

"This is to make sure Sunny is safe, since there are more than enough pirates here, and therefore it is not at all unlikely that marines will stop by as well. Also, the spot I chose is easy to access from the parts of the town where the rest of us are going, so if we find out Luffy has already been taken away from the island, we won't be losing any time." She looked at everybody to make sure they were all following so far.

They all nodded and she went on.

"Zoro and I will go out as regular pirates, in disguise of course. We will find the lowest lot on this island and get them drunk, hopefully winning some money in a game of… I mean making them talk." Nami cursed herself for the slip, but she couldn't help it. Having Zoro with her as a bodyguard was just the perfect opportunity to fool some of the stronger pirates who had already gotten their hands on the riches of the New World.

"The information we want is where the shady business happens in this town, and I'm not talking about pirates or thieves. I mean the big money, where the nobles and other rich scum go to make their deals. Once we find out, we will inform Sanji, Robin and Usopp who will be taking care of the rest. Sanji and Robin will play the part of a rich couple who are in the market for a slave. Usopp will be their financial advisor. Also, just to be sure they have credibility, they'll be carrying most of our money with them…" Nami began was silently crying, looking at the money case longingly.

"They better make sure we don't lose even one beli!" She added and Usopp nodded furiously, clutching the case to his chest.

"The minute we figure out where and how Genzo does his trades, we will all meet at the Sunny and hopefully be on our way to get our Captain back." They all felt their spirits lift, getting a little confidence from the navigator' words. As long as the plan worked, they should be on their way to where Luffy was in no time.

"Okay, good luck everybody, and make sure you follow the plan!" Franky, Chopper and Brook started to prepare Sunny for departure as Nami handed out the costumes she had picked for everybody else.

"Here, put these on and then let's go." Nami and Robin headed to the women's quarters upstairs as the boys entered their room right next to the stairs.

Once they were done and stepped out, it would've been almost impossible to tell who they were. Usopp was grinning happily, thinking his new get up was pretty cool, even though it was also completely absurd. Robin was smiling at Nami, thanking her for the great job, whereas Sanji was staring at the two women with hearts in his eyes. The only one who was unhappy with his disguise was Zoro.

"The hell is up with this hair? And these shoes and shirt are ridiculous!" Zoro was in vain trying to swat the bothering strands of hair out of his face.

"I think you look a lot better now. Maybe you should keep this style." Sanji commented to which the swordsman answered with a growl.

"Most pirates look ridiculous. Do you remember Buggy?" Nami said off handedly as she checked her own appearance one last time.

"Just cuz' that idiot wants to look like a clown doesn't mean I have to! At least give me my swords back!" Nami looked at him dramatically and rolled her eyes.

"Even you should realize that using three swords is your most recognizable trait. Just be glad I let you keep that one." Zoro glared at her again, feeling naked with only one sword.

"Alright, it's getting dark, time to go." Franky, Brook and Chopper waved byes to their retreating friends before setting off and sailing to the distance.

Zoro and Sanji both stayed behind a little, making sure that Sunny got away from the shore safely. While on the ship, they had both sensed somebody hiding behind the rocks on the shore, but it looked like they were good for now, the presence had faded just before they went in to put their costumes on. The two pirates caught each other's eyes as they turned back to face the front, and shared a knowing look before parting to go with their own group.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

With Nami and Zoro, in the bad part of Hinanjyo town called 'The Dumb'...

This part of town really was rough. It started only a block from the main street, a curving side street that held bars and taverns, casinos and some other places Nami didn't want to acknowledge. Looking to the South from here, all she could see were run down houses, dirty streets, suspicious looking people, and dark alleys. In other words, this was exactly where they wanted to be.

Nami was, for once, actually feeling pretty confident instead of scared despite the situation. She knew for a fact that she looked dangerous, intimidating even. The shoulder length brown wig adorning her head was one she had always wanted to try after she bought it back in Alabasta to use as a disguise, but she had never gotten the chance. The light grey contact lenses made her eyes look piercing, and the bandana covering half of her face as well as the fake piercings gave her a needed 'tough pirate' look. She walked on with her back straight and an excited flutter in her stomach.

Zoro, on the other hand, was bored and uninterested. He knew this was supposed to help them get closer to Luffy, but he didn't see the point of all of this work. In his opinion, the easiest way of dealing with the situation was to find someone and threaten the information out of them, just like they had done with that old bartender. But apparently this was a '_delicate situation where one wrong move could make them lose Luffy forever_'. But that didn't mean he had to like it. And the ridiculous wig Nami had made him wear was seriously getting in the way! The long white strands were getting tangled around his arms as he walked since he was not used to having them there. And the bangs that covered his eyes made it really hard to see. He already had one bad eye, he didn't need some stupid wig on his face to make seeing that much harder!

But, as unhappy as he was with his own current appearance, he did admit that the navigator who was walking in front of him looked a hell of a lot scarier than usual. That, added to her naturally quick temper and confident nature, made Zoro think that he wasn't really needed here after all. But still, there were some strong people here, he could sense it, so he went with the plan, not wanting his friend to get hurt if things went wrong.

As they walked by the many signs and doors, Nami kept her eyes wide open. She wasn't exactly sure what she was looking for, but she hoped she would know it once she saw it. Luckily most people seemed to avoid the two, so they could easily make their way through the crowded streets.

They had been walking around for roughly three hours, visiting a few bars quickly, just having a drink or two and checking the place out before moving on, when a voice suddenly caught their attention.

"Miss, you look like a woman who enjoys a good game of poker. Why don't you come in and try our restaurant, we have some high bets going on tonight." It was a sleazy looking, tiny man who was standing next to the entrance of a fairly large looking restaurant that seemed popular, too. Nami tried to decide whether this would be it, but then again, at this point anything was worth trying, since they'd had no luck so far.

"Huh?! Who you think you're talking to? I'm not interested in your second-rate games and pocket change, what I'm looking for is a lot bigger than a few belies." Zoro glanced over at his companion in surprise. Had he been anyone else, he would've flinched like the smaller man had. Nami's voice was so cold and the way she looked at the man down her nose was so unlike her that for a moment Zoro thought that maybe he had accidentally followed the wrong person.

"I- I see… Well, uh, Miss… I-I mean My Lady, I'm happy to let you know that we offer more than just a measly game of poker. Whatever it is you are looking for, I'm sure you'll find we are more than willing to help you with it. And we have some special guests here, so I can assure you the bets are extremely high tonight." The man was bowing lightly and grinning in what he probably thought was a charming manner, but just made him look like a mouse.

Nami felt like jumping in excitement, knowing that they'd just hit the jackpot. This seemed to be the place where everybody came tonight, so this was where they needed to be, too.

"Ooh? You think so? Well, I don't usually deal with little roaches like yourself, but I guess I can give you a chance. Just know that if I'm not satisfied with your offers, I won't be responsible for what might happen to you." Nami snorted before gesturing to Zoro, who swallowed his pride and slowly licked the blade of the curvy knife Nami had insisted he should carry with him. The little man looked at them wide eyed, but obviously he was used to dealing with dangerous people, because he just swallowed and kept on smiling in that rodent-like manner of his.

"Well then, Miss, why don't I show you to your table?" He was starting to step inside to lead the way, but Nami quickly stepped up, taking the man by his shoulder and pushing him back.

"You think I'm just some spoiled rich bitch? I can find my own way. And it's Captain Mirabel-sama to you, you little rat." With that, she strode in the restaurant looking like she owned the place. Zoro just chuckled lowly and followed his friend.

Nami had never felt like belonging somewhere less. The place looked rather nice, everything was made out of dark wood, barrels were used as tables and the dim light came from flickering torches. The first floor seemed to be for gambling and games, whereas the deck that worked as a second floor just had tables for eating and a bar. The navigator could have enjoyed such cozy looking place if it wasn't for the people. It almost looked like a gathering of zoo animals. All sorts of people, from scary to outright ridiculous, all yelling, dancing, fighting and just in general making a mess and being rowdy. Some of the barrels were broken on the floor, apparently it was a game: each barrel had beer in it, and if you broke one, you had to drink it. Of the floor. Nami actually saw someone on their knees on the floor, licking the alcohol and falling over in it while laughing like crazy.

Right in the middle of the floor there was someone lying in their own blood, obviously not breathing. Nami's every instinct told her to run, the nauseous feeling almost too overwhelming to bear. Even Zoro furrowed his brow in disgust; he might be a pirate and a heavy drinker too, but he would never dream of drinking off the floor next to dead guy. That was just wrong in so many ways. But they both knew they had no choice, this was for Luffy's sake after all.

So Nami gathered every ounce of endurance she had, and calmly walk over the dead man lying on the floor, heading slowly to the stairs that led to the floor above. She heard the footsteps of Zoro following her, feeling comforted by the fact that she wasn't alone in this craziness.

Suddenly, someone roughly grabbed her by the waist and she was pulled to a firm, muscular chest, the smell of alcohol and nicotine overtaking her senses. She wanted to let out a yelp, but somehow held it in; it wouldn't go with her current character, after all.

"Hey, heyyy, pretty lady pirate here guys! Don't you think she should join us? Zhihehehe." Nami looked up at the bearded face, cloudy eyes and red cheeks. The man was obviously drunk off his ass. '_Good,'_ she thought, as she gestured for Zoro to stay back when she saw him reaching for his sword, letting him know that she could handle this.

"Huuuh? Who exactly is supposed to join your sorry asses?" She looked at the man with as much hatred as she could muster, which wasn't all that hard since she hated most pirates anyway.

"Oh, come on missy, let's have a little fun!" The man was now reaching his other hand somewhere behind the brunette (wig, remember!) woman, but was stopped quickly as Nami used the man's slowed reactions to overpower him. She gripped the man's wrist, spun around under his arm and pulled out the knife she had hidden in her boot. With one strong movement she swung the knife down, plunging it into the hand she had pinned to the table. It took the man a few seconds to process what had happened, but when his mind finally registered it, he let out an agonized scream. Once again, Nami used the man's weakened state and quickly took the gun that someone had left on the table, pressing the barrel to the crook under the man's chin. Still holding onto the wrist of the hand that was now bleeding slowly, Nami leant in and snarled in the man's ear:

"It's _Captain Mirabel-sama_, you bastard!" The man's eyes widened a little at the name, and he glanced at his friend who also looked at Nami with wide eyes. With no further due, the woman turned and walked to the stairs without so much as a second glance

Zoro stared in amazement. He had never seen Nami act so violent. Sure, he knew she could fight and did what she had to do, but it was a completely different story to witness it like all honesty, he was rather impressed. Not that he doubted the navigator's strength, he himself had gotten more than his fair share of punches on the head from the witch to prove she was no weakling. Still, he had been a bit worried when the bastard started groping her. '_Huh, guess I don't have to worry, then,'_ he thought and followed after Nami, who was already halfway up the stairs.

Said woman couldn't've been happier, as shaken as she was by her encounter just now. Their plan was working well so far. They'd known from the start that no matter how convincingly they dressed up, they would have no credibility if no one knew who they were. So, in every bar they had visited during the night, they'd made sure they mentioned Nami's fake name to a few people here and there. Even though no one would recognize that name from before, by now they had spread it to enough people who were completely drunk that they wouldn't remember where they heard the name, just that they had. She knew that the longer they took, the bigger the chance that somebody would realize that there actually was no pirate called Mirabel. But at least everything seemed to be going smoothly for now. The proof for that waited for them on the second floor where Nami could see a familiar face to her left. It was a guy she had talked to in the first bar they had gone to, and he was pointing at her and whispering furiously to his companion.

A confident smile danced on Nami's lips as she remembered that particular meeting. The guy had challenge her to a quick game of poker that she had won. It was quick, because 5 minutes into the game Nami had noticed that the man was cheating, and she had won because she threaten the guy with Zoro who ended up giving all of his money to them.

As soon as she sat down at an empty table, the mousey-looking man from the door was beside her, bowing deeply.

"Captain Mirabel-sama, what can I get for you and… ummm… your companion to drink? He threw a scared look at Zoro who sat down while he was talking.

"Huh, if it isn't the little Mousey. You should know a sake drinker when you see one!" She spat at him, crossing her legs and turning her head to look the other way.

"Right, right! Of course, how silly of me. I will have one of our waitresses bring you some, for free of course, Captain Mirabel-sama." He bowed even deeper before disappearing in the crowd.

Nami finally let herself shudder, looking around the place once again.

"Gosh, I really need that sake just to be able to stay here any longer. These people are animals." She was looking at the next table were a guy was putting his hand up a waitresses' skirt. She quickly looked away and noticed the few droplets of blood on her left hand. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. The sound of the knife piercing the man's hand haunted her thoughts. She wasn't used to stuff like this, it just wasn't her. But she was pretty sure that the man had deserved it, and in the end it was just a little scratch compared to what Zoro might have done if she had let him.

"Hmph, not like we have a choice. But it looks like we're finally in the right place." Zoro was also scanning the room and wondering who all these people were. He didn't recognize any of them, so nobody here was too famous, at least..

After a while a waitress came by with their drinks. They both downed them quickly before separating into the mass of people. Nami headed back downstairs and joined a game of pool in a corner that was a bit calmer than the rest of the place. Zoro made a beeline for the bar and took a seat there.

As Nami was well on her way to winning her second game, she finally heard something that caught her attention. The two men at the next pool table were talking about The Pearl of Hinanjyo, which was what the the better part of the town was called, with dreamy looks on their faces.

"I heard they 'ahve a chocolate fountain at every table and candlers... chandealers.. ya' know, those big lamp things made of diamonds, in ev'ry room in thosssse restaurants. And the whole neighborhooood… Neighbourm… the… the place was named after the streets which are made of pearrrlsss. Man, I wisssh I could go to a place like that once. And the women. Have you seen 'em? They're like fuckin' walking jewels 'emselves!" His friend laughed at this and patted the other's shoulder.

"Yeah, those women wouldn't even touch you with a 30 foot pole if you _paid_ 'em! Like hell you'll ever get to go anywhere near that place! Hahaha!" They both laughed loudly, downing their drinks and swaying a bit.

"I know, I know! Ther'sh one way for anyone to go there, tho! I heard the moussshy lookin' guy from the door talking to this annoying guy ovre… I mean over there... _*hick*_…Hahaha. Said that Genzo works 'round here. Hahaha." The guy who was talking didn't seem bothered by this, but his friend lost a little bit of the red glow from his face.

"You mean… _that _Genzo? Shit, I wouldn't wanna cross that guy. Chocolate fountains or not, I'd rather die not knowing what a place like that really looks like then go in there as a slave. Have you heard what those people make em' do? I've seen em' force their slaves carry em' around on their backs. Just imagine the weight of a lady who had nothing but time and money to eat, and on top of that, she would be dressed in some glimmering rocks… Hahahahah!" Both of them seemed to think this was a very funny thought as they both fell over and stayed on the floor, laughing all the while. But Nami had heard enough.

She quickly excused herself from the game, saying she needed to find her companion who had more money on him. But instead of actually finding Zoro, she looked for a much smaller figure. It didn't take too long for her to spot the rodent-like man standing next to the door again. She strode over to him as quickly a she could and swiftly pulled the man outside. The streets were a little emptier now, the chilly night air forcing most to take refuge inside the bars and restaurants.

Nami stared at the little man in front of her and wondered what would be the best way to bring up the subject.

"I hear you're well informed. Maybe you could help me with something?" She tried to look calm and uncaring, which was proving difficult as her heart felt as if it was going to pound it's way out of her chest in excitement.

"Why, yes, you've heard right, Captain Mirabel-sama. And I hear you have quite the reputation of causing trouble." Mousey was looking oddly confident, but Nami brushed it off in her haste.

"Then you should know that it's not a good idea to anger me. Now, can you help me or not?!"

She gave the man a little shove to make sure he understood she wasn't kidding around.

"Depends. What is it you need to know?" The navigator was getting chills from this man's voice. It was the definition of creepy.

"Genzo." '_That should do it,'_ she thought, and as if on cue, Mousey paled and started shivering. He looked to their left and right, quickly scanning the area and making sure no one could overhear them.

"Ah… Ma'am, I strongly advise you stay out of that man's business. Surely you know how dangerous he is?" Mousey had lowered his voice to a barely audible whisper and kept on glancing every which way.

"Yes, I'm well aware. But he's taken something very important to me, and I'm awfully possessive of my things, so don't like it when other people touch my stuff. Now, you can either start talking or I can make sure I mention your name when I finally find Genzo." The man's eyes widened at the threat and he reached out to pull Nami a little further away from the door.

"Fine. But you didn't hear this from me!" He looked at her pointedly and she nodded in agreement.

"Genzo doesn't really work in this part of the town. All he wants from us is to keep our mouths shut and share information with him when needed. He wants to know if any big bounties or other good catch comes around. Every now and then he comes by to recruit more men, looking for those who are ready to do anything to make money and aren't shy of little gore. Violent, horrible people, those who go with him. But if you do want to find him, in this town he does most of his business in the next neighborhood. There is a spa hotel in The Pearl of Hinanjyo, that's the neighborhood, called 'Hinanjyo' after the island. That's where he makes his deals. But you won't be getting in there, no offense. They won't even let you in any part of The Pearl. That place is gated and guarded, the rich folk don't want any trash from 'The Dumb' in their midst."

Nami looked at the man carefully and decided he was telling the truth, but she still needed more information.

"Good so far. Now, I assume you know most of Genzo's moves since you're so well informed. What's the latest word?" She gave yet another push as the man looked hesitant.

"Big catch, a big catch he has now! They say he's even captured the infamous Straw Hat Luffy! Hard to believe though, even if most of the things said about him are true…"

"WHAT ELSE!?" Nami interrupted him. All of this she knew already.

"The-the Barbarian! They say he has the Barbarian. And a woman of Amazon Lily! Now please, Captain Mirabel-sama, that is all I know, I swear!" The man was cowering, but a smile was spreading across his face slowly.

Just as Nami was about to answer, she heard footsteps behind her. Quickly she turned to see two employees of the bar walking towards her and mousey.

"And now, Captain Mirabel-_sama_," Mousey spat out the honorific. "I'm sorry to tell you that we need you to leave our restaurant. Whatever business you've got with Genzo, we don't wanna be involved with." Nami now understood why the man had suddenly seemed a bit more confident. He must've known the bodyguards were on their way.

She had no problem leaving now, she'd gotten what she came for and wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible. There was one problem, though; Zoro!

Without a second of hesitation, Nami sprinted between the two huge guards, taking advantage of the element of surprise as she pulled open the door and stepped back into the restaurant. She'd seen Zoro walk to the bar upstairs, and she was pretty sure that's where she would find the swordsman still sitting and drinking sake.

The moment she laid her eyes on the long wig she recognized as the Straw Hats' first mate, she gripped his arm, pulling him along without any other explanation than: "_Time to go."_

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

With Sanji, Robin and Usopp, in The Pearl of Hinanjyo...

"That was Nami, they've got the name of the place, let's go." Usopp whispered to Robin and Sanji as he returned to the table they were occupying.

The trio had chosen a fancy cafe to sit at and have a few drinks in while they waited for the information of their final destination. Sanji was having a hard time acting cool when every fiber of his body wanted to swoon over the sight that was his precious Robin-chwan. The older woman was wearing a dazzling dark blue gown and a short blonde wig. Her natural tan was hidden under a layer of makeup that Nami had professionally applied. The archaeologist might not've looked like herself at all, but she was still gorgeous anyway.

Sanji himself was just wearing a white suit and a hat to covered his signature eyebrows. Nami had insisted on switching the cigarettes into some fancier and "_unreasonably expensive so don't you dare smoke them all!" _cigars. The cook didn't mind since it was Nami-swan who had asked him, but he had to admit that the taste was sour and overall just plain wrong.

Usopp looked like a ridiculously colorful body guard, with a neon green suit and a pink fedora, topped with a pair of bright yellow sunglasses. But Nami had insisted that this was what some of the rich people wore, and, as usual, she'd been right. The whole cafe looked like a rainbow of people in the weirdest clothes (_costumes?_) they'd ever seen. Apparently they would wear anything as long as the price and brand was of "appropriate quality".

Sanji threw a pile of bills on the table (_"This much for coffee!? Nami's gonna kill us!" _Usopp groaned) and as soon as they got up, there was a man next to them, ready to escort them out.

"Ah, dear costumers, are you leaving us already? May I ask where your next destination may be? Shall I call you a car, good sir, to save the lady's feet?" The way the man was crouching down and half bowing all the time was a bit disturbing to the three pirates. They were definitely not used to this kind of treatment.

"We are headed to the Hinanjyo Spa. If it's not too far we would actually like to walk, my wife enjoys the views of this beautiful neighborhood." Sanji almost lost it as he called Robin his wife, and earned a surprised look from Usopp as he somehow held it together.

"Ah! An excellent choice, sir. Hinanjyo Spa is known worldwide, and is our main attraction, actually. I shall escort you there myself and make sure they take good care of you, sir!"

The way this man was sucking up to them was absolutely pathetic, but at least they had a sure way to get to where they wanted to go.

Robin took Sanji's arm in hers as they walked ahead towards the entrance, Usopp following right after them and their guide was last, the social status of the whole group very clear for anyone to see.

Walking around 'The Pearl of Hinanjyo', as this part of the town was called, was truly an experience. If it weren't for the people who walked the streets, the three Straw Hat pirates might've even enjoyed their little walked. The buildings were high and the architecture remarkable. It was almost like Fishman Island all over again. Shells and coral decorated the surrounding walls, thousands of soft lights in different colors, creating a dreamy and whimsical atmosphere. They even saw a jewelry shop that looked as if it'd been made out of diamonds. The streets were silvery white and smooth, like millions of pearls melted into one winding path.

But then there were the people. All around them were men and women who walked with their noses in the air, looking like the pearly path was their personal road to heaven where they thought only they belonged. The ridiculous clothes they were all wearing completely ruined the harmonic feel their surroundings were creating. Worst of all were the occasional slaves they would see. It was obviously a rare privilege to have one, though. The few who walked around with a slave on a leash or even worse, having them carry their _owners _on their backs, were looked at and greeted with respect and admiration. Sanji was secretly hoping he could take one of those stuck up bastards and teach them a lesson or two by making them crawl on the ground with one of the shitty swordsman's weights on their backs.

"Sirs, Ma'am, we have arrived." The unpleasant voice of their escort pulled Usopp, Sanji and Robin out of their dazed wonderings. Robin suddenly realized that the way they had been looking around in amazement might've been a dead giveaway of their true identity. No one else here was giving the surroundings even a second glance, undoubtedly being used to walking in golden rooms throughout their lives. She noticed a couple walking by them, the older lady looking at her with a scrunched up nose and a disapproving look, almost as if she could smell that they were of the so-called "lower class". Robin didn't need to pretend at all to respond with a look that held at least twice the distaste the older lady's had. This apparently was the right thing to do because almost immediately both the woman and her husband's faces softened and they offered the pirates something that might've been an attempt at a smile. Robin couldn't help but shake her head, the way these people thought was completely ridiculous to her.

"What was that about? They don't like you unless you look like you're walking in a pile of trash and the people around you are skunks? What is wrong with this place?" Usopp muttered quietly under his breath. All three of them could agree that they would actually rather walk in a pile of trash than live like these people did.

But one thing was for sure, the building that they were about enter was definitely a sight to behold. It rose higher than any of the surrounding buildings, more than a 100 floors, as their escort had informed them. The sign that stated 'Hinanjyo Spa &amp; Hotel' was lit up with the most beautiful glowing green lights ("real fireflies in there, they replace them every night") and the walls were the most beautiful coral orange color, the uneven surface together with the glowing lights creating an illusion of being underwater. Despite all of this, the group of pirates held back their amazed gasps and instead Robin stated sharply:

"What's the hold up, I'm getting tired. I wonder if this place even has a proper restaurant. The taste of that stuff they called 'coffee' at the other place is still making me nauseous." The archaeologist's face was scrunched in a look of disgust and Sanji was inwardly praising the woman's acting skills.

"Ma'am, I assure you there will be something that will please your taste. This building holds all of nine different restaurants, two of which are on the top, a beautiful garden terrace that overlooks the city, and only this side of course, we would never expose you to the horrendous sight of 'The Dumb' that unfortunately ruins the other parts of this..." Sanji was starting to get the feeling that if they wanted to get anywhere with the crouching man in front of them, he would have to start truly acting according to his disguise.

"Obviously you have not been paying much attention. This gentleman here is our financial advisor, and we brought him here with us for a reason. We heard from a rather reliable source that this is the place to come to when looking to make a certain... Business trade, shall we say." The cook was looking at the other man expectantly, knowing he would catch on quickly.

"Ah, of course, my deepest apologies, sir. This way, if you please." It seemed like the man's demeanor changed completely. He took on a more serious look, and instead of being a suck up, he was just polite and respective. Sanji raised his eyebrows under his hat, wondering if the world was really so messed up that you had to be marketing for a slave to be taken seriously and get some respect.

They were now following the man as he led them to a foyer beyond description. The marble floors and high ceiling with the biggest crystal chandelier they had ever seen was breath taking. They stopped briefly at the front desk where their guide whispered something to the receptionist. Then he turned to look at the pirates in disguise and bowed deeply.

"This is where I must part with you, but this lady here will take good care if you, sir." Sanji knew what was expected of him and pulled out yet another impressive stack of bills from inside his jacket. He handed it to the man whose eyes lit up in greedy excitement as he glanced at the receptionist with a meaningful look. Apparently this was a way to test the trio to make them sure of their credibility.

"Thank you, sir. Your generosity is beyond my deserving." And then he was gone.

The receptionist waved at someone to come and take her place at the desk and then smiled at her new charges.

"We are delighted to have you as our visitors. If I understand correctly, you are looking to use our VIP services. My colleague here is currently signing you up for two separate rooms in the West wing, with a city view, of course. I imagine you are about ready for dinner so I shall escort you to our best restaurant up on the Garden Terrace. That is also the place where you can take full advantage of all of our services. Now, if you would be so kind as to follow me, please."

They all filed into a grand, golden elevator before it shot up with impressive speed. The floor numbers flashed by as they rose higher and higher, and soon an echoing _*cling!*_ announced that they had arrived at their destination. Usopp glanced at the floor number and his eyes widened at the red '124' that was displayed on the screen. This was definitely the highest building he'd ever been to, no doubt.

Once the doors opened, they found themselves standing in a magical garden. Dark green vines rose up the pillars that supported the frame that most likely was to provide a shade during the day. It was currently lit up with lights that shone on the flowers that hung around them. To their right, they could clearly see The Pearl of Hinanjyo in all of it's glory, resembling an underwater sheet of stars.

"What do you think, sir, ma'am? Quite impressive, isn't it?" The receptionist asked with a smile.

Robin looked at her down her nose and humph'ed, while Sanji gave the uninterested answer of, "It'll do."

They were led to a table right on the edge of the terrace, providing them with a full view of the city. Only two other tables in this part of the roof were occupied. Glancing at them, it was obvious that some sort of business meeting was occurring within them.

"I'll be right back with our specialty drinks and your VIP contact for the night." The receptionist bowed and scurried away.

"Well, you definitely don't see something like this everyday." Usopp sighed as he let his gaze rest on the shining light far below them.

"You are quite right, Sniper-san. It's hard to believe they've managed to build a hotel like this. Then again, with the kind of customers they receive, I assume the construction of this site paid itself off quite some time ago. For curiosity's sake, I wonder how much it would cost to stay in a place like this…" Robin had a dreamy look in her eyes as she said this. It wasn't often the other Straw Hats got to witness her like this, as most of the time the only things that had her excited were ruins or other historical stuff that the others didn't quite understand.

Sanji was humming in agreement, lighting another cigar. It was only his second tonight, Nami's warning of wasting money clearly ringing in his ears.

"My guess is that it's more than we could barely afford at the moment, even with all the money we have. Honestly, I feel more and more uneasy with every penny we spend, just in case we need the money to buy Luffy back. Though, personally I'll stop at nothing to kick that bastard Genzo's ass to hell and back, just so I can kick it back again!" Sanji's cigar was burning at an alarming rate as he gritted his teeth in anger.

"Worst case scenario, he's already been sold off and is currently being used as a mere toy for someone's entertainment." Usopp jumped a bit and looked at Robin with scared eyes.

"Don't just say things like that with a serious face, Robin!" The sniper screamed in panic. The woman across from him just smiled pleasantly, resulting in a lengthy rant from the sniper about things that were inappropriate to say out loud.

The cook sitting on the side couldn't help but smile. Even though what Robin had said would've been registered as horrible to any outsider, he knew it was actually her way of making the situation a little lighter. This was their norm, a routine. It felt familiar and reassuring in all this madness that the past few days had been.

They were all interrupted when the receptionist from earlier returned with a waitress and an official looking woman right behind her.

"I hope you are enjoying yourselves, dear customers. Here are your drinks and your waitress for tonight. She will be coming back in a bit to take your order. And this is Satoshi Kurumi-san, she will be your official business contact on this island from now on. If you'll excuse me, I will be making sure your room is ready for you." Bowing once more, the woman was proceeded to take her leave along with the waitress who had silently put their drinks down.

The third woman of the group was looking at them with a tight smile and a strange twinkle in her eyes behind the weirdly shaped, light blue glasses she wore. Like most people around here, she was wearing a ridiculous outfit that consisted of more colors that any of them (except maybe Robin) could even name.

"It is a pleasure, sir, ma'am. I am always delighted to have new business partners. Now, I assume you've had a long day, so we'll just cut the chase and get right down to it, hmm?" She looked anything but pleased as she said this, judging by her expression. Then again, as they had learned, in these circles that was just a way of being polite.

"Yes, indeed. My clients actually have a very special item in mind that they are interested in." Usopp was taking charge of the conversation, being the financial advisor. The other two pirates were slowly sipping their drinks and looking uninterested, despite the pounding of their hearts.

"In that case you've come to the right place, hmm? I'm sorry to be rude, but I do need some proof of your credibility, hmm?" Usopp was silently thanking Kami-sama for blessing Nami her wit as he pulled out the case filled with money. He opened it just a crack to let the woman see the bills inside. Her eyes flashed with that weird twinkle again as she smiled again, now almost naturally, at Sanji and Robin.

"I see, you've truly prepared for a great investment. Now, what is it exactly that you are looking to invest in, hmm?" Here the disguised sniper thought quickly back to the conversation he'd had with Nami earlier. She had informed him of all the big sellers that Genzo had at the moment, and they had all agreed that asking for Luffy right away would be too obvious, as well as just downright foolish. They knew that there was no way that no-name fake rich people such as themselves could possibly pull off trying to buy Straw Hat Luffy, when most likely the tenryuubito themselves, as well as the World Government were offering crazy amounts of money for the pirate. So he took a deep breath, and went with the plan they had created.

"My clients here have heard that Genzo-san has some rather interesting individuals at the moment." The woman who they knew as Satoshi Kurumi just kept on smiling in that weird way of hers.

"You are well informed. Which individual is it that your clients are looking to pay for, hmm?" she finally stopped addressing Sanji and Robin, realizing that they weren't going to bother dealing with her. Instead she looked Usopp straight in the eyes.

"The word is he has a woman from Amazon Lily. Is there any truth to this claim? It's quite hard to believe in such a rare opportunity." The supposed financial advisor was repeating the exact lines Nami had told him to.

"Indeed, hmm? But I assure you, Genzo-sama always comes through with his promises. Whatever you hear about him, most likely is the truth. So, I assume you want me to contact him for you, hmm?" The woman had taken out a paper and a pen and was quickly writing down something none of them could quite see. Usopp cleared his throat and she quickly stopped.

"Indeed. But my clients would actually rather prefer to deal with him personally. They plan on making future business with him too, you see. So, perhaps you can inform him of our offer and we can meet him in a location of his choice?" All of the three Straw Hats were secretly crossing their fingers for the plan to work.

"Hmm, how very brave of you. Personally, I would stay far away from that man. But it seems you clients are quite serious about becoming regular clients of his, so I will happily agree to your request. Now what would your offer be, hmm?" She was pushing her notepad towards Usopp who scribbled down a number. Her eyes widened slightly as she peered at the number and then turned for confirmation from Sanji, who just glared at her challengingly.

"So, that is our offer. The location?" Now was the moment, they all knew it. They waited in silent excitement as the woman considered them all carefully and then looked at the number on the notepad one more time before answering.

"Very well, I'm sure this will do even for Genzo-sama. Though he often stays here for business, at this time you may reach him in the Wayward Inn on Misto Island." Robin looked at the woman incredulously before commenting: "Misto Island? As in mist? What kind of ridiculous name is that?" Sanji pretended to calm her down before turning to address the lady, Satoshi, directly for the first time.

"We thank you for your business. Now if you please, hurry up and contact Genzo-san for us, we need to be on our way to the bank for a final withdrawal before heading of to Misto Island." The cook quickly stood up and took Robin's arm as he gestured for Usopp to follow them. Before leaving, the sniper left a fake check for the woman and then hurried off after his friends, the thought of finally getting closer to Luffy lifting his mood even higher than the building itself.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**Oh my, that chapter just kept writing itself. :D Over 8,000 words. O.O Oops…. It was surprisingly fun to write some badass Nami and the rest of them too. So, it became a bit long… Once again, I'm sure you don't mind.**

**I actually wrote parts of this all over the place: at the pool, in Leaping Lizards (for those who don't know, it's a jumpy-house place for kids to play in), at the playground, in the zoo… hopefully seeing baby pandas and lion cubs didn't make me too soft. :D I always write on the go these days, feels to me like I can't keep the story in one piece (no pun intended) anymore!**

**Anyways, till next time!**

**-Ssus**


	8. Chapter 8 - Stay Alive

**When Luffy Went Little too Far – Chapter 8**

**Hey guys! **

**Here is a little something I thought I'd give you before you think I've disappeared. It's not long, but I didn't wanna leave just an AN 'cause I personally hate it when people do that. They give you hope and then crush it! Okay, I'm being a bit dramatic.**

**Warnings: Nothing for this chapter... I think. O.O**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

**Name of chapter: A song by Jose Conzales called Stay Alive. Thought maybe this is about what is going on in Luffy's head.**

**Oh, and the chapters before this one were beta'd by FlightWulf. From here on, all mistakes are my own.**

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**Chapter 8 – Stay Alive**

Somewhere outside the town of Hinanjyo, on the Thousand Sunny with Franky, Chopper and Brook

The three Straw Hats that had been left in charge of the crew's ship were all sitting on the grassy deck in a circle, each sipping some hot tea to keep themselves warm while the temperature dropped gradually as the night went on. Brook was humming a tune and Chopper was gazing at the stars with bright eyes.

"The stars look so happy up there. I wish I could understand them. I wonder what they would say..." Chopper sighed as he took another sip of his tea.

"Indeed. The beauty of the stars gives me goose bumps... Though I have no skin to have goose bumps on. Yohohoho!"

"Oww! Maybe I could built a ship that can fly all the way to the stars." Chopper turned to look at the cyborg with admiration.

"Really, you could do that!? That's awesome! Can I go too?"

"Of course, Chopper-bro! You can be the first blue nosed reindeer to ever travel to the stars!" Chopper nearly fainted from excitement as he thought about flying through the twinkling lights above them.

"Yohohoho! That inspires me to write a song. Please listen to this "The blues of the blue nosed reindeer..." Brook started strumming his guitar as the others listened with their eyes closed.

"You have to play this song for Luffy! He's gonna be so excited!" Chopper exclaimed as he imagined the straw hatted boy's happy smile at hearing a new song.

"Oww, Luffy-bro will love it!"

Brook changed the tune he was playing to a softer one and ran his fingers through the strings a tad bit slower.

"My soul plays for my Captain. Isn't he the reason we all do what we do?" The skeleton got teary eyed at the thought of hearing Luffy's words praising his music. Ever since the first time the young Captain had asked him to play a song, he knew he would always play with him as an inspiration, or not play at all. Even when he toured the world as Soul King, at every concert he would think back to his Captain and the training the boy was going through. And that's where he got his strength as he stepped in front of the screaming audience.

Franky had to agree with the musician. Every new invention he made, he made it with Luffy on his mind. He still remembered when the ships he built as a boy used to be ridiculed and belittled by people. And then his precious inventions were used to hurt the one person who had taught him everything. But Luffy would never let that happen. He would smile and get excited with the smallest and weirdest things the cyborg would create. The Captain of the Straw Hat pirates understood the value of things and especially ships and recognized them as part of his crew, not just something disposable. And that was why Franky would never follow anyone else.

During his musings Franky had gotten teary eyed as well and was now bawling like a child.

"Bwaaaaaa! Luffy-bro really is a great man, isn't he?" Chopper and Brook agreed without a second thought.

"Truly. Yohohoho! We need to get him back quickly." For a few more moments they all kept sipping on their tea, before realization hit them all at the same time. The reindeer doctor jumped up and started screaming in panic.

"Waaaaah! Luffy! Luffy's in trouble and we're drinking tea! What should we do what should we do!?" Chopper was running around and knocking over everything on his way, but Brook for once got his bearings back quickly.

"Ah, it is true that Luffy-san is in quite a pinch right now, but there isn't much we can do. Worrying too much won't help anyone, yohoho." Franky who had ran after Chopper and was once again fanning the little reindeer to cool him down looked at Brook in surprise. It wasn't often that the skeleton kept his cool.

"Oww. You're right. Nothing we can do right now but wait. Chopper-bro, you wanna help me fix this new thing I'm working on?" The reindeer got excited right away and quickly forgot his worries. As the two of them went on about their things, Brook ventured into the kitchen to get some more tea. He kept humming the new song he'd just come up with and was mentally making it into sheet music in his mind. He didn't want to forget it before Luffy had a chance to hear it. The steaming tea had a calming effect on him and by the time he got back down on the deck he was calm and relaxed once more.

It had been more than five hours since the others left, they should be back soon. The skeleton had no doubt of them succeeding in their task to find out what happened to their Captain.

Unfortunately his peaceful moment didn't last long as a giant figure came looming above him. Brook looked up at the ship that came to a stop right next to Sunny.

"Yohoho... Ho... Chopper-san... Franky-san... There's a Marine ship right next to us." The cyborg and reindeer stopped in their tracks to turn around and see the huge shadow of a Marine battleship falling on them and shading Sunny completely. Franky lifted up his shades and whistled. They saw the navy ships often enough, but usually one of the monster trio wrecked them before they got this close.

"Wheew, that's an impressive size for a ship. Not a very creative model though. They could've fit double the cannons if they'd positioned them right." Chopper and Brook nodded like they knew what Franky was talking about. They all watched as a Marine Captain walked to the edge and looked down at them.

"Straw Hat Pirates... Looks like your crew is lacking. That's unfortunate for us... Am I to assume that the rumors about your Captain's capture are true? Who knew the rookie who caused so much trouble just two years ago would fail so miserably and end up as a mere slave." The Marine had a twisted smile on his face and his tone was nothing short of mocking.

All three pirates growled angrily at their enemy. No one bad mouthed them and got away with it. But at the moment their changes didn't look too good. Franky could see the silhouette of three more navy ships sailing towards them from the left, and as strong as the three of them were, they weren't Luffy, Zoro nor Sanji. There was no way they could take on four Battleships and be able to protect Sunny at the same time, especially in the dark. How the Marines even found _them _in the first place was a mystery. But point was, they were in trouble.

"Hmm? Did I hit a nerve. Well excuse me. Now if you wouldn't mind surrendering we could get this over with much quicker. I'm sure you've noticed our back up coming and it would be a shame to sink that beautiful ship of yours right here. I had planned on making a bonfire out of it, my men are a bit chilly, you see." This was when Chopper finally freaked out.

"Aaargh! The Marines, the Marines! What should we do?!" Franky who was wanting very badly to hurt the mocking marine for not only insulting their Captain but daring to even suggest to burn down a perfectly fine ship, had a hard time turning away and stop the panicking reindeer.

"Not time to freak out, Chopper. We gotta get out of here. You two secure the deck, I'll get the Coup de Burst ready." Brook looked at his crewmate in worry.

"Ah, but Franky-san, what about Nami-san and the others?" The cyborg was already halfway up the stairs to the helm and just yelled over his shoulder.

"We'll call them once we are on the clear. Our main job is to protect Sunny, the rest we'll figure out later!" Chopper nor Brook needed no more reassuring as they started to secure the lose items on the deck.

The Marine Captain watched in disbelief as the pirates ran around tying things down. The heck were they doing? Did they really think they could out run a navy battle ship? And why would they waste time securing things on the deck? It didn't make much sense.

"Tch, seems like the whole crew really is made out of idiots. Men, get ready to invade the ship! They are obviously not going to go down without a fight. Get the cannons ready too, they are attempting to make a break for it... I think?" He watched as the big number on the side of the other ship started to move and change. Confused as he was, he got ready to jump on the... The... Grass? On their deck. Seriously, what was going on with that ship and the crew?

Just as he yelled out the order to 'JUMP!' He heard the big robot looking guy yell something that sounded like 'Coop the bar' (whatever that meant) and the next thing he new his men were falling in the water on the empty space where the pirate ship used to be.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

On Servisia, with Luffy  


Luffy felt himself wake up very slowly. In the back of his mind there was a nagging thought telling him that he should be in pain, but as his awareness grew, all he could feel was numbness. He was tired in ways he never remembered being.

'_Must be the kairouseki_', he thought as he tried to roll on his back. He wasn't quite sure whether he actually succeeded or not.

"I don't know what you did, kid, but I've never saw Genzo lose his cool with anyone like that. He almost did you in. Bwahaha. Even asked me to make sure you don't die on him before he gets his money. Must be big money he is getting if he thinks it's worth to keep you alive instead of just ending you and getting your bounty reward. Bwahaha! How you feeling, kid?"

Luffy made a great effort to open his eyes and face the old Baribari no ossan sitting next to him. Apparently the man had helped him to turn on his back and was now looking at him with concern shading eyes. Now that the raven could finally see the other man properly, he saw right away what he had meant when he said he wasn't much better off than Luffy himself. The man's white hair and beard were wild and dirty, his face was sunken in, fresh wounds decorated his whole body and the way his bones were sticking out told Luffy that he wasn't the only one who had been tricked to eat that poison.

"So you just gonna stare at me or answer my question kid? I'm not getting any younger here. Bwahaha!" The smile that stretched the elder's dry and chapped lips was so true and sincere that Luffy felt overwhelmed for a moment.

"I'm... _cough_… fine…" He rasped out and cringed at the disbelieving look he got as an answer. Luffy knew from the start that saying he was fine was kind of stupid, but what else was he supposed to say? '_I feel like crap, thanks for asking_'? Or '_can't really feel anything right now actually, in fact I'm pretty sure I'm dying, but don't worry about me, it happens_'? Luffy shook his head. His thoughts were getting out of hand lately. He couldn't afford to think about dying or his Nakama not coming for him in time. Thinking that would be the same as losing hope.

"That's not even funny, kid. Why don't we try again? I'll rephrase my question. What's on your mind?" Baribari's face had changed into a more serious expression but his voice and eyes still held the kindness from before. Luffy had decided from the very start that this was indeed a nice old man (unlike someone else he knew) and could be trusted. And since he really had nothing to lose, he let his walls come down and answered honestly.

"That Genzo person said I am dying. Something about the kairouseki bullet that's stuck in my stomach, I didn't really understand it all. And I can't help thinking that maybe my crew won't come in time. But then I get angry at myself for thinking that, 'cause they're probably doing their best to get here and I'm losing faith. It's just so hard to feel hopeful when I feel like I'm drowning all the time. It's just like when I fall in the ocean, except this time no one is jumping in after me…" He had to pause to focus on breathing while a coughing fit ragged through his body. Baribari no ossan helped him sit up a pit to make it easier. Once it was over and Luffy opened his eyes, he found himself sitting against the wall.

"It looks like your wrist is broken. And that shoulder of yours looks quite nasty. I wouldn't be surprised if you had a concussion too. It's amazing you're functioning at all with the amount of pain you must be in. You sure are a tough kid. Bwahaha!" Luffy looked down at his wrist which indeed was twisted in an unnatural angle and looked red and swollen. He blinked a few times while trying to remember how it had happened.

"Yeah… I don't really feel any of it though. Can't feel anything…" His vision faded in and out of focus and someone took a hold of his chin and tapped his cheek gently.

"Hey, kid! Don't fall asleep on me now. It sounds like it's time to get ready to go. I was just gonna tell you that you don't have to wait for your crew to come, I can offer you a ticket out of here right now. What do ya say, kid? Bwahaha!" Luffy suddenly felt much more awake as he looked at the older man in the eyes. He definitely wasn't lying. And now that he really thought about it, maybe the noises he was hearing were a little too loud to be just regular creaking of the hull or even a storm. The ship seemed to be shaking all over and the metal walls were echoing with explosions.

"Told you they were coming." Came a smug voice from the right. Luffy turned his head to look that way, though of course he didn't see the person who spoke. He wondered what Hiroshi's comment meant, but soon figured he hadn't spoken to him.

"Bwahaha! You sure did, brat You sure did." The Bari Bari on Ossan had a new kind of twinkle in his eyes as he grinned widely.

"Wait, what are we doing?" Luffy asked as he wasn't quite following the conversation anymore.

"All you need to do is stay alive a little longer, kid. Then, we just wait."

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**There you go!**

**Answers to reviews:**

**Ichigo1508:** I know, right? But it looks like there might be some hope for him in the near future... Maybe? :

**LovelyMinx 17:** I'm glad you enjoy the story. ^-^ I'm hoping to right some more action soon. Though it looks like the crew is facing some obstacles in their quest to rescue Luffy. :O I would like to see Genzo face them as well. Now that I think about it, I could almost feel bad for him... Almost. ;) And thank you for the cookie, though I feel like I don't deserve it anymore, taking so long to update and all. :'(

**QueenLilyTigerEllyessa:** I think I'll forgive Luffy fot taking my food (AGAIN), but only because he is not feeling very well.

**Fi Suki Saki:** Dark plans... I like it. *-* And yeah, I'm worried about how this will affect Luffy's appetite too. Hope some TLC from the crew will help get our favorite carefree captain back!

**Neko11: **I got myself seriously pissed off too. x) I get a little carried away while writing. But isn't that the point? I definitely wouldn't wanna be Genzo when we finally get to the epic face off with the crew. Thanks for the review!

**onepiece Fan:** Thank you. :3

**nani-onigiri:** Thank you! I try my best to keep everybody in character, it feels more real for me too.

**LU:** I'm glad you liked it, I loved writing chapter 7. :)

**Cream the cat:** Sorry for the long break. Promise I'll update more often! And thank you for the review. :)

**FanFiction Addict 2.0:** Here you go! Thanks for the review. ^-^

**Camryrose14:** Thank you. Hope I can keep you interested.

**Gamelover41592:** Not so soon, but here it is! No wait, it is pretty soon to you. Just looked at your review date. x)

**Whooh. Thanks for all the guest review too. They mean a lot to me. The review are what made me want to start writing again as soon as possible. ^-^**


	9. Chapter 9 - Separation

**When Luffy Went a Little too Far - Chapter 9**

**New chap! Nothing special to say, I guess. Except that I have too much free time in my hands… One would think it'd be great, but really, I swear I'm gonna go crazy soon… Anyway, on to the part you are actually waiting to read. :D**

**Warnings: None, really. How boring! o.o**

**Disclaimer: I dooooo not own One Piece, nope.**

**Name of chapter: Comes from a Sailor Moon song called 'A Heart Breaking Separation' for no other reason than that I love Sailor Moon. :D And I just rewatched the whole show, and now I'm listening to the soundtrack on repeat. Yup, love it.**

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**Chapter 9 - Separation**

On the coast of Hinanjyo, with Usopp, Sanji and Robin

"Now what do we do? All we know Franky and them have been captured too, and maybe Nami and Zoro as well and it's just us and we'll never get any of them back again and..."

"Shut up, Usopp! They'll hear us and we'll be no good to anyone if we get caught too!" Sanji tried to keep his voice to a low whisper, but his words came out as an angry hiss instead. No matter how you looked at the situation it looked bad, and even Sanji couldn't keep the worry and slight panic from showing.

The cook was crouched down behind a rock near the shore where they were supposed to meet up with the rest of the crew. Robin was sitting next to him, her back against the rock and eyes closed in concentration as she used her devil's fruit to look around the rocky coast without them risking being spotted. Usopp was shaking like a leaf on the other side of the cook, muttering quietly something about having an 'I-can't-go-on-a-rescue-mission' disease.

The three of them had arrived to their destined meeting place about 20 minutes prior, only to find out that not only had Nami and Zoro failed to get there yet (which was a great cause of worry considering that they had been done with their part of the plan long before the other group), but The Thousand Sunny was gone as well, and with her the rest of the crew including Chopper, Brook and Franky.

On top of that there was now a huge Marine ship docked where The Sunny was supposed to be, and the marine soldiers were turning every rock in sight upside down in search for something. In short, something had gone horribly wrong with their plan.

Sanji had already forcefully taken the baby Den Den Mushi from the panicking sniper the moment they realized that something wasn't right, and had immediately tried to contact both The Sunny and his precious Nami-swan (he might have called Nami a few times more than the others) but no one was answering. He was getting frustrated and glanced hopefully at Robin who now had her eyes open and a frown on her face.

"I can't see the Sunny anywhere within my power's reach. I eavesdropped on the marines enough to know that they are looking for us, and by us I mean the whole crew. So I think it's safe to assume that Franky and them got away, and whatever is holding the others isn't the marines."

As relieved as Sanji felt that at least the bastard marines didn't have Nami (or the others), he couldn't help the tired sigh that escaped his lips. He pulled out one of the horrible cigars ('damn I miss my cigarettes right now') and lit it in hopes of relieving the headache that started to make itself known behind his eyes.

"I think the best thing we can do right now is to go on with the plan." Robin's determined words broke through the dull pain in Sanji's head. He turned to look at the older woman in confusion.

"But we don't have a ship." He knew he sounded like an idiot the moment the words left his mouth, but in their current situation he didn't really care. Until, of course, he heard a voice that made a vein pop in his head even before the meaning of the taunting words had the time to register in his mind.

"'We don't have ship?!' What are you, a pirate or a whiny kid, curly brows? There's a ship right there." It took exactly three seconds for the blonde cook to be up and have his right leg an inch from the swordsman's face where the other had stopped it with his sword.

"What was that, you shitty... Shitty..." Upon taking a better look at the other man, Sanji couldn't help but burst out laughing so hard he almost fell over. He had to lower his other leg to have both of them on the ground supporting his weight as he curled in on himself and held his sides in pain.

"You... Hahaha... You really should... Haha... Always dress like that... Hahaha!" It took a while for Zoro to realize that he was still wearing the ridiculous wig and he quickly pulled it off and threw it on the ground. He cursed himself for letting the damn cook humiliate him so, and he was just about draw his other two swords when he realized he only had the one he was already holding. Damn that witch, he thought just when said witch appeared from behind him and started yelling.

"You idiots! We could've had the element of surprise but you just had to go and make a scene like usual! I hope you are ready to face the consequences because those marines aren't gonna wait for you to finish your quarreling and _you better not have smoked the whole pack of those_!" She added with a devilish glare towards the only smoking member of the crew, and for once Sanji actually felt the chills of fear run through him instead of the usual feeling of unconditional love he got when the navigator yelled at him.

Shaking his head to focus on the situation, Sanji finally turned to look towards the shore only to realize that his rival was already making his way through the enemy lines. By the looks of them the marines weren't very strong, and Zoro for his part looked almost bored as he sliced through who ever happened to be on his way and jumped on the ship. He was done cutting down half the men on the deck when Sanji finally made it there, obviously seething in rage.

"You damn marimo, hogging all the action to yourself." It took exactly 6 minutes and 23 seconds for the small pirate crew to knock down the enemy, throw them off the ship and start getting ready to set sail.

"I've always wanted to try navigating one of these. Though I must admit it feels too big and clumsy compared to Sunny." Nami crunched up her nose at the huge, colorless ship she was standing on. She took her time to walk around and familiarise herself with the foreign ship, when suddenly a wonderful thought hit her. She quickly spun around to face Robin, beli signs shining in her eyes.

"You think they have a treasure room where they keep all the gold they get from pirates they catch?" The hope in the youngers eyes made Robin chuckle as she pointed towards one of the doors. She had already used her powers to check the ship for possible enemies that stayed behind, in the process getting to know her way around.

It didn't take long before they were out on the sea, heading towards Misto Island at full speed.

"Wow. If nothing else this ship has some speed. Not to mention that it's nice not having to worry about marines attacking us." Nami had already set herself (meaning she ordered Zoro to do it) a desk and a chair on the deck where she was now sitting and sipping on the cold drink that Sanji had prepared for her in the ship's kitchen. On the desk the navigator had a bunch of maps that she was inspecting, making sure they were heading towards the right direction.

Robin walked up to her and sat down on the other chair by the desk, sipping on a drink of her own.

"Still no word from the Sunny. It seems the Den Den Mushi aren't working right."

The navigator furrowed her brow and lifted her gaze from the maps.

"That's odd. And it's also a problem. We have no way of getting in contact with them without it. I mean, we could always come back here after we find Luffy, or maybe they will even somehow make their way over there too, but I would feel a lot better if we were on Sunny while escaping. Also, it's very likely we're gonna need Chopper when we get Luffy back..." Nami let her voice trail off as her mind was filled with images of Luffy, hurt and beaten. Who knows what those slave traders did to him? They already knew their Captain had been drugged, but what else...

"-mi? Nami? Don't worry yourself too much, Captain-san wouldn't want you to do that." Nami escaped her thoughts with Robin's gentle voice. She hadn't even noticed when the tears had started to fall, but there was no mistaking the ticklish feeling on her cheeks. She let out a choked laugh and wiped her face.

"Yeah... That idiot would probably just laugh and tell me I was being silly." Robin couldn't help herself from chuckling too, the thought of Luffy's carefree grin bringing a smile on her face.

"That he would. So, what happened with you and Zoro? It took you quite a long time to get to our meeting place." This change of subject made the navigator's eyes darken with frustrated anger and her hands curl into tight fists.

"The usual: that idiot with the absolute worst sense of direction the mankind has ever seen got himself lost while we were being chased. Though I guess for once the being chased part happened because of me." Nami's angry face turned into a sheepish one while thinking back to what had happened.

_Flashback_

_Why was it that this crew never seemed to escape anywhere without making the whole island know they had been there? Nami cursed her luck as she pulled Zoro behind her, refusing to let go in fear of him getting lost._

_Zoro for his part was once again disagreeing with the navigator's choice of action. He'd spent the whole night _'behaving' _as Nami put it, and that had been incredibly boring. Now there was at least a dozen angry men chasing them, ready for a fight and Nami wanted to run? Nuh-uh, not anymore._

_The swordsman came to a sudden halt which caused Nami's grip to loosen and her feet miss a step, ending up with her losing her balance and almost falling straight on to the sword of one of their assailants. Zoro worked quickly, pushing her out of the way and cutting down the grinning man in front of him. From there he kept on running, thinking the navigator would appreciate it if he took the fight further away from her. Oh, how wrong he was._

_Nami had ended up hitting a bunch of trash cans and was now nurturing an aching head and scraped knees. When she came to and realized what Zoro had done, she screamed so loudly the people who came to check if she was alright scattered like roaches from a light. Gritting her teeth together the navigator started walking towards the northern end of the island, knowing that somehow Zoro would find his way to the exact opposite side of the island of where he was supposed to go._

_End of flashback_

"So yeah. I ended up finding him sitting by the shore on the east side of the city, wondering why Sunny wasn't there. Then of course we came here, finding out that she wasn't here either... How on earth did we end up in this mess? And just when we finally got together again..." The situation was so far from funny Nami couldn't help but smile at the irony.

"Well, I am sorry to tell you that our situation is even more messed up than you think."

Nami's smile turned into a frown. This was not what she wanted to hear.

"What do you mean?" Robin was still smiling in that calm manner of hers and took another sip of her drink before answering.

"It looks like nose-kun didn't make it on the ship." The raven's words were followed by a long silence during which Nami just stared and blinked, then stared and blinked again. Almost in slow motion she turned to look around the deck, then she tried to think back to what happened before they had set sail. As realization finally dawned on her she stood up so quickly her chair fell over, the sound alerting the two men on the ship who came running on the deck, asking at the same time:

"What happened?!" This resulted in a heated staring match which would've evolved into a fight had Nami not exploded at that very moment.

"That IDIOT! THE HELL ARE WE GONNA DO NOW?" Zoro and Sanji both backed of a little, scared of the raging navigator.

"Wha... What's going on, Nami-swan?" Sanji dared to ask. Zoro felt a source of respect at the cook's bravery, though he would never admit that outloud.

"USOPP! THAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON! I can't believe him! Of all the times to disappear he chooses to do so now when we already have our hands full with a kidnapped Captain and a case of the THREE MISSING IDIOTS!" In reality Nami knew there was no reason to be mad, she knew Chopper and them didn't have a choice when they abandoned their post and Usopp would never intentionally get left behind, he was a coward after all. But all the worry inside her was culminating into a major break down and the only way she could handle it was to get angry.

Zoro covered his eyes with his hand in a tired gesture. In their hurry they hadn't even checked if everybody was on board. They were all on the edge and weren't thinking clearly. The swordsman thought about Sunny and his two swords he left behind, missing them at that moment, the naked feeling their absence brought hitting him with full force. He decided to look for a workout room, in need of letting out some steam, though any weights the marines had wouldn't most likely come even close to what he was used to.

Sanji was starting to get withdrawal symptoms from the lack of cigarettes, which didn't exactly help the anxiety he was already feeling. As Nami stormed by him muttering something about a shower, the cook realized his hands were starting to shake. He let out a deep sigh and was just about to turn to return to the kitchen when something stopped him. Looking down he saw a hand protruding from the wall next to him which caused him to glance towards Robin who was still sitting by the desk. He looked up just in time to catch the pack of cigarettes that was thrown at him. He couldn't see Robin's face from this angle, but knew that the woman was smiling. A smile of his own crept on his face as he thanked his nakama and walked away.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

On Sevisia, with Luffy

Everything was a hazy mess. Monkey D. Luffy was a man who wasn't used to feeling weak and useless in battle, but for the first time in his memory both his body and mind were slowly giving up. On top of that he didn't have his nakama here to trust to take care of him. Instead he had to rely on two almost strangers and a group of... He had no idea who, to save him. He was aware that someone was carrying him on their back and that a full blown battle was happening all around him, but that was about it.

To tell the truth, he wasn't even sure if he was indeed being saved, or if maybe this group of mystery people were just another enemy to add to the long list he already had. Sure, he trusted the Bari bari no ossan, but even the old man had disappeared. Who ever was carrying him was a complete stranger.

The young pirate Captain briefly thought that maybe he should ask this stranger to put him down and leave him there. What if his crew came to look for him and he was gone? How was he ever gonna find them? Oh wait, I have the vivre card his groggy mind told him, trying to provide him some sort of reason to get the heck out of this place. But it's in my hat... HAT! Luffy panicked for a moment, concentrating all his mind to try and feel whether his beloved hat was indeed hanging around his neck or not. This proved very difficult due to the total numbness that was still making his whole body completely useless. But from the corner of his half lid eye he could see the familiar yellow that calmed him quickly.

His relief came to a sudden halt as he felt his carrier jerk to the left as his grip on the pirate captain loosened and after a short floating feeling Luffy's body slammed brutaly on something hard. He rolled a few times, then fell off of something and finally came to a stop against cold wall… or, you know, something else, but it was cold.

Luffy took a few deep breaths, the cold air making his lungs hurt. Or maybe it was just the kairouseki working its way through his body and slowly shutting it down, one organ at a time.

Luffy came to the conclusion that he must be outside and that it was probably raining. Probably, because he couldn't really feel it, but he was pretty sure he heard the steady drum only rain could create. All the other sounds were quieting down and for what felt like the millionth time that day he wished he knew what was happening. He tried opening his eyes but the dim lights seemed a like dozen of suns that burned him and he quickly closed them again.

A frustration like he'd never felt before raged through him. He was completely at the mercy of whoever might find him next. That wasn't really what frustrated him so, not alone at least. What made him so angry was the familiar fear that tried to make itself known in the back of his mind: the fear of being alone. He couldn't sense anyone anywhere near him, though he wasn't exactly sure if his observation haki was to be trusted right now. But there was no nakama, no Bari bari no ossan, no Hidoi-kun or even those strangers that were supposed be saving him. Just him, alone, numb and cold and in pain.

"I bet you thought you got away, Straw Hat." The disgustingly sultry voice that Luffy had learned to hate and fear floated mockingly in his ears and suddenly the fear of loneliness would've been welcomed with open arms. It was just his luck that the one person who found him was Genzo.

Then again, the slave trader was probably the only one looking, his mind provided.

_Go away, you're not helping!_ He silently screamed at himself, realizing that he was yet again fighting with his own mind.

"They can take all the others but you are mine. I will get my money, one way or the other. Yeah, one way or the other..." He couldn't be entirely sure, but it sounded like he wasn't the only one talking to himself. Maybe Genzo was going crazy too?

He was once again lifted on someone's back ('_it's Genzo, you idiot'_) and an unbearable pain shot through the numbness. A pain so blinding it made the memory of the numbness sound good.

"_No, pain is good. No pain means you're losing the battle. As long as you feel the pain you can be sure there is hope."_ Those were words Chopper had told him that time after Thriller Park when Zoro had been in pain. Luffy had been worrying himself sick about his first mate frowning and grunting in pain in his sleep, but Chopper had told him that it was the silence of no pain that he should worry about.

He could feel the darkness calling him again. Someone was shouting somewhere fairly close but he couldn't make out the words. The last thing he knew was the feeling of drowning once again before his mind shut down.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**Yosh! There it is. Till next time! ^-^**

**And thank you so much for all the new follows and favorites! Every single one inspires me. :) And let's not forget the loooovely reviews! Love those too. ;) Some answers to you peeps here! (Peeps = people… don't ask).**

**Oh, and a little note to those who wonder (probably no one, just me being paranoid), when I duplicate letters while writing (like above I wrote loooovely) it's because in my mind I sing it. x) A little weird, I know, but half the time when I say something I actually sing it. I'm known as the walking radio. Just so you know. Because it's important. And I really need to find a job soon because this is getting ridiculous...**

**Cream the cat: **Thank _you_ for the review. It's nice to know people are still reading. :)

**gamelover41592** : Thank yoooouuuuuuu! O.O

**kanji855: **Yup… AN = Every reader's worst nightmare. Or maybe I'm being a little dramatic. x) But I hate them! Thanks for the review. :)

**nani-onigiri: **I would never crush my beloved readers with something like an AN! Promise! :P Thanks for the review, 4 am or not, they are all fun to read. (Well, actually the once written at 4am are probably the most fun!)

**lany-chan: **Haaaai, ganbare… I'm trying, this whole no internet thing is kind of bringing down my tries, but Iäm doing my best! :D Thank you for the review!

**Queen Lily Tiger Ellyessa: **NO! I hope the sea kings didn't eat Luffy! Robin, shame on you for even thinking that! (Thanks for yet another fun review! ^-^)

**greengrasslover: **Here! I have granted your wish! :D I hope you have a great weekend before school starts, and thank you for the review. Actually, thanks to it I remembered to take my iPad with me, and was able to update. ^-^


	10. Chapter 10 - A Crisis After Another

**When Luffy Went a Little too Far - Chapter 10**

**Yahharoo, my dear reader people! Here's the next chap. I hope you like it. :) Also, Chapter 10 already! Amazing. Who knew I would get this far… Hohohooo!**

**Warnings: Yet again, none… What am I doing?**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

**Name of chapter: A Crisis After Another from the Naruto soundtrack. The name was pretty fitting. :P**

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o. .o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**Chapter 10 - A Crisis After Another**

On the coast of Hinanjyo, with Usopp

How did this happen? He truly had the worst luck ever. Or maybe it was karma biting him back. But when he said he had a 'can't-go-on-a-rescue-mission' -disease, he most certainly did not mean he wanted stay on a random, and may one say highly questionable and dangerous, island by himself. Nope, that was not his plan.

But here he was, still crouched behind a rock, looking at the empty spot where the marine ship had been just a moment ago. Or maybe it was a bit longer than a moment, since he couldn't see the ship at all anymore.

Once again being a coward had ended up landing him in a horrible situation. But now was really not the time to panic, he'd done enough of that for one day. He was still in his costume, no one would recognize him. Hopefully. Also, he knew where Nami and the others were heading. Now all that was left to do was to find a merchant ship that was headed to Misto Island and by his way aboard.

The only good thing about his current situation was that he still had the case which held all of their money, clutched tightly against his chest. Sure, it was also a hindrance since it could easily attract thieves, bandits and other pirates to him, but at least he had the means to pay for the journey to the next Island as well as get some food and shelter.

Usopp might have been a coward, but he was also a survivor. Life had taught him to take care of himself, and that's what he would do. The one thing he prided himself for was that he was by no means stupid. He knew how to stay out of trouble, though like now, faith sometimes decided differently.

To avoid suspicion, Usopp emptied the contents of the case and hid the money inside his clothing. No reason to walk around with a clear sign telling everybody that he was carrying big stacks of cash with him.

That being taken care of, the sniper started his way back to The Pearl. He was sure that with his current get up and some bribing he would soon find a ride. It was pretty late though, so he decided he should find a place to stay in for the night.

The thought of an angry Nami passed his mind, but at the moment he'd rather find a safe place to stay in and face the navigator's wrath later. He knew for sure he had enough money to stay anywhere he wanted for as long as he wanted, if only Nami wasn't so stingy with their money.

He couldn't go back to the hotel they were at before, those people had already seen him, plus he didn't need anything that fancy. Fortunately it didn't take long for him to find a good, nice looking inn and as soon as he got to his room, he went to sleep, willingly forgetting all about his current predicament.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

On Sunny, with Chopper, Brook and Franky

"Chopper-san, how is Den Den Mushi-san doing?" Brook was inquiring the ship's doctor for the hundredth time. They had been sailing for a while, keen on getting as far away from the Marines as possible. Their whole plan had been to get to the open sea and then contact the others. There was only one problem with that: their Denden mushi was not co-operating.

Chopper sighed as he turned away from the little shell that was lying on the table in front of him.

"I really don't know. He refuses to come out of his shell so I can't inspect him well enough to say if something is wrong with him." He took another look at the unmoving creature and then followed Brook to the kitchen where Franky had been trying to figure out how to open the lock on the fridge.

"Damn, I have no idea what Sanji-bro did with this thing. I mean, I installed it, but he has changed the combination too many times for me to know it anymore. It's really Luffy's fault, though. If he would just stop trying to raid the kitchen every other night, we wouldn't have this problem…" He kept muttering to himself as he tried yet another number combination. When it didn't work, he turned to Chopper for help.

"Are you sure you don't know it? Don't you keep some of your medicine supply stuff in the fridge?" The Doctor shook his tiny head apologetically.

"I used to, but then we agreed that I should just use the smaller fridge for that purpose, since Luffy doesn't know about that one. You know, after he accidentally ate those pills that one time when he actually got the fridge open and got awfully sick the next day." Chopper shivered at the memory. Luffy had been in a horrible condition.

"Ahh, I haven't heard that story. Was it really that bad?" Brook inquired as he poured tea for the three of them.

"Yeah, it was no joke, alright. Even Luffy himself got scared enough to leave the kitchen alone for a whole week. I mean, Sanji wasn't very happy to give up his little secret fridge where he kept the stuff he made for Nami and Robin, but even he got so spooked he understood that we couldn't risk that happening again." Franky replied. He really didn't want to remember that incident.

"Yohoho. Hard to imagine anything could keep Luffy-san away from the kitchen. That must have been a truly scary experience then." The musician decided to leave the cyborg alone for awhile since he was no longer listening, but cursing at the lock again. He was starting to look like he would soon just smash the whole thing. Chopper took his tea and returned to his infirmary in hopes of getting the Den Den Mushi to help them.

Brook took his own tea outside with him and enjoyed it while watching the passing scenery of never ending blue. It had occurred to him that they should probably try to figure out where they were, but none of them had much knowledge of navigating. He himself knew how to get around, but he wasn't Nami. Since the Den Den Mushi wasn't working, they really didn't know where to go. The only option they had was to go back to Hinanjyo, though none of them had said it out loud yet, not wanting to return. But how else were they supposed to find the others?

Brook closed his eyes (though he had no eyes to close) and enjoyed the light breeze. Moments like these seemed pretty rare when you were part of the Straw Hat pirates. Even now when everything seemed so calm and quiet, it actually wasn't. The three of them were on the run, the other's back at Hinanjyo had no idea where Brook and co. had gone, their Captain was going through who knows what horrors, and none them had any way of getting in contact with each other. So, not a relaxing situation. But they'd had it worse, so he would enjoy while he could.

After a while the air around him seemed to suddenly grow colder though, and his surroundings got much darker. With a sense of déjà vu he looked up to find himself staring at a huge ship… right next to Sunny… again…

But instead of panicking, he just put his cup down and walked inside. At the very moment he stepped into the kitchen a huge crash ricocheted all over the ship and the floor shook harshly. It took a moment for the skeleton to realize where the sound came from. Franky had finally gotten bored of the guessing game he'd been playing with the lock and had decided to open it with force. When a simple fist hadn't been enough, he'd used his laser beam, and well, the rest is history.

Chopper came running from the infirmary, eyes wide with panic.

"Wha- what happened? Franky, are you alright!? Of course you're not alright, you just blew up, we need a doctor!" He was frantically looking back and forth when the ruble in the kitchen corner moved and the shipwright stuck his head out for the other two to see. He seemed to be totally unharmed, with a happy smile on his face and a piece of meat in his hand.

"No need for a doctor, who by the way is you, Chopper-bro. I got the fridge open. Now we can eat." The Doctor stood next to Brook, both staring at their friend and thinking about the same thing: Sanji was going to kill them.

With all the commotion going on, Brook had forgotten his reason for coming back inside in the first place, and therefore it went completely unnoticed by the three of them that there was another person in the kitchen with them, until that person decided to speak up.

"Um… Are you all quite alright?" The stranger asked, sincere concern lacing his voice.

"Yes, thank you very much for… ahh, and who might you be?" Brook asked the newcomer.

"Oh dear, how rude of me. You may call me Eliot, very nice to meet you, sir." The three Straw hats all turned to look at the rather tall, blonde man with the funniest, colorful clothing on, standing next to Brook, taking a bow in an old fashioned manner as he introduced himself.

"Yohoho… No problem, Eliot-san. I am Brook, these are my nakama Chopper-san and… WAAH, THERE'S A WEIRD LOOKING STRANGER ON SUNNY!" Brook screamed out as he got over the calming effect this person's politeness had caused. Eliot looked at him confused.

"No need to yell, for goodness sake. And may I say you can hardly be calling someone else weird, Mister Talking Skeleton-san. If anything, I'm the one who should be scared here, but that of course would be impolite." Then he smiled with a smile so wide it could almost be compared to Luffy's. Once again the other three were stunned silent at the impeccably polite and friendly voice of this Eliot person. Chopper was the first to get his voice back.

"Umm… What are you… I mean, if I may ask you… umm… Elliot-san? What are you doing on our ship?" The Doctor was struggling to speak as politely as their guest, which was hard, since he wasn't used to such dialect. He'd never heard anyone talk like Eliot, mostly because when he was little he was always cursed at by others, Doctorine was hardly known for her manners and now he was surrounded by rough pirates or angry marines all the time…

"Yes, of course, sorry about that. I am being horribly rude, aren't I. I don't know what possessed me to act in such a manner." The young man seemed awfully bothered by his own 'rudeness', his smile turning into a worried frown.

"No...not at all, you are being most well behaved, Eliot-san. We were just wondering, since we don't know you." Chopper got a little startled by the fact that he had made this happy person look so sad suddenly. He really didn't know what to do in this situation. Eliot was one of those people who look like they should be happy all the time, and daring to make them any less happy than they were was a crime. He was kind of like a little child... Or Luffy.

"Right, well, I apologize deeply. Now, to the point. Firstly, I assure you, gentlemen, I have absolutely no intention of harming you in any way. Me and my friends were simply on our way to find some help when we happened to spot your ship. Seeing your flag we knew you were pirates, but we are really in need of a doctor, so I decided to take the risk of boarding a possible enemy ship. Some of the people who are hurt are dear friends of mine, you see." His face was solemn now, his eyes misty with grief. Franky, who was still sitting in the bile of rubble, was silently crying at this man's bravery.

"Ah, a doctor!? You need a doctor? Maybe I can help?" Chopper asked in worry. He would never turn his back on injured people.

Elliot's eyes brightened at that mention and he kneeled in front of the little reindeer.

"You really mean that, Reindeer-doctor-san? I would be eternally indebted to you!" Chopper was taken aback by the sincere gratefulness shining in the other's eyes. Also, the note that this man actually knew he was a reindeer definitely didn't go unnoticed by him. And then before he could stop himself...

"You bastard! As if I would be happy when you call me a reindeer-doctor!" He was happily dancing from one side to the other, not noticing the horrified expression on Eliot's face.

"Oh no! Oh dear… I mean, not a deer as in… I meant… How awful, I have truly insulted you, haven't I? And after you so kindly offered your help, too! Oh no, oh no, what to do… What shall become of me, this wretched, tainted soul! The ocean should just swallow me whole. Better yet, a sea king should rip my body into pieces, very slowly so I can feel the same suffering as this kind, merciful creature who…" Eliot was truly looking as if he would die any minute from the bare horror of his own act. This of course made Chopper panic as he realized his mistake, but he was unable to say anything when the man went rambling on about all the awful things he apparently deserved to endure.

"Yohoho… Eliot-san, no need for such drastic measures. Please forgive Chopper-san for the misunderstanding. He said that but he is actually very happy about what you said. He just has a very unique way of showing his happiness." Brook was quite entertained by the situation. Usually he would feel bad for the suffering young man, but his character was so very hilarious and unpredictable that he couldn't help himself for being a bit amused.

Eliot lifted his head from the floor where he had been trying to bury it in his shame. His blue eyes were glistening with unshed tears as he looked from the amused Brook to Chopper who once again looked horrified that he had succeeded in upsetting this stranger so.

"You… you're really happy, Reindeer Doctor-san?" Eliot asked almost desperately. Chopper just nodded quietly, not daring to open his mouth in fear of saying something wrong again.

Eliot's expression lightened immediately, the smile back on his face as he crawled to Chopper and took his right hoof in his hands.

"I see, I see. I misunderstood you, Reindeer Doctor-san. Please forgive me for making such a scene, I certainly didn't mean to. As long as you are not offended, I shall be forever happy!" At this point even Franky had to chuckle a bit. He couldn't help but imagine how much fun Luffy would have meeting this person. Eliot was definitely one of those weirdos their Captain liked to call '_interesting people_' with that good hearted laugh of his.

"Ri-right… Then… I am perfectly fine, thank you…" Chopper stuttered, getting more and more confused by the minute. Franky and Brook were not helping.

"So, umm… Shall I look at those sick people, then?" He asked carefully. At the doctor's question Eliot seemed to remember why he had come and quickly jumped back to his feet.

"YES! Oh dear, oh dear… I almost forgot. Then, if you truly are still willing to help a person as rude as myself, then please, this way." Chopper really wanted to tell Eliot that he had never met anyone less rude as him, but he had a feeling that that would lead into something they didn't have time for right now. So he just nodded and ran quickly to get his to-go medical kit and followed Eliot out of the kitchen. Franky told Brook he would stay behind to start fixing the kitchen, so Brook decided to go with Chopper just incase something happened. Kami knows they couldn't afford to lose another crew member right now. Eliot might have seemed friendly, but as a pirate, one can never be too cautious.

There was a rope ladder set on the side of the other ship, and they used that to climb on board. On the deck Chopper and Brook were faced with a punch of worried faces. Every single pair of eyes turned to look at them warily. Understandable, really, they were pirates after all. And one can't forget the fact that it wasn't every day people came across a talking reindeer and a living skeleton, even in the new world.

"Everyone, this here is the great Reindeer Doctor-san, and his crewmate, talking-skeleton-san!" Eliot introduced them excitedly. His friends didn't seem very convinced of their supposed greatness, and Brook's side note of his actual name got buried under Eliot's grand monologue.

"They have kindly agreed to help us in this tragedy we have faced, our own Doctor being injured himself and all. Please express your gratitude dear friends, after all, they are doing this deed without expecting anything in return and…" Eliot's speech was cut short when a young girl with long, black hair walked over and took a hold of his neck, effectively silencing him.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, alright? No need to start worshiping them, you idiot." Her harsh voice turned into a warm and friendly one when she faced the two baffled guests.

"Excuse him, he's a bit of a character, like you probably already noticed. I'm Sam, not short from anything, just Sam. My mom really wanted a boy." She explained happily. Chopper just smiled back shyly, whereas Brook took Sam's hand and got ready to ask his signature question for all women when all of their attention was drawn to a pained, panting voice.

"That… haah… that flag… It's got a Straw Hat on… haah… You lot part of the Straw Hat pirates?" The question came from a young, injured man who was barely holding himself upright at the doorway that lead to the inner parts of the ship. For the millionth time that day, said Straw Hat pirates were stunned to silence, so they just nodded in answer. To their surprise the rather grim looking man started laughing at that.

"Hahaha… ha… hahaha… ow ow ow… This is the best! Hahaha!" He was holding his sides in obvious pain and Sam rushed to his side, looking exaggerated.

"You idiot, the hell are you doing out here? With those wounds you shouldn't even be able to get up." The man didn't pay any heed to the worried words, instead he focus on catching his breath again and then he stared intensely at Brook and Chopper again. There was a knowing, apologetic look in his eyes that made the two uneasy.

"This is just… Unbelievable… That poor bastard. He really has the devil's luck..." Chopper and Brook looked at each other, baffled. What on earth was going on here?

"You better explain yourself. I think those two are going to faint if they get any more confused." Sam stated while taking a supporting hold of the man next to her.

"Haha, right. Well, if you are the Straw Hats, then I think I'm right to assume that you are looking for your Captain, right?" Chopper and Brook both felt their hearts skip a beat at these words.

"How… How do you know about Luffy-san?" Brook asked tentatively, not daring to hope.

"Well, I talked to him just this morning." Sam and the rest of Eliot's crew seemed to wonder about this for a moment, before all of their eyes went wide in understanding.

Eliot immediately started bawling and muttering something about cruel faith, whereas Sam just looked like she couldn't believe what was happening.

"No way! You mean that boy that was celled with the old man… He's really Straw Hat? Straw Hat Luffy? As in the big boss's son? And these two are part his crew and are looking for him? And we had him but failed to save him? And now we run into his crew, just mere hours later… Holy Hell…" The girl looked utterly defeated.

"Wait a minute! You know where Luffy is? What do you mean failed to save him? How did you talk to him this morning? Is he okay? Where can we..."

"Just hold it there, raccoon. Let's go inside, the old man can tell you better than I." And for once Chopper didn't even notice, let alone care that he was being called a raccoon, but just followed this stranger inside the ship. After all, Luffy's name was like a magic word for them.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**Dun dunnn… The plot is getting thicker. Who would've guessed the trio would run into the very same people who just tried to save Luffy?! What a tragedy! :(**

**But I must say I really like Eliot. :D He's so fun to write. I'm not a fan of the name Eliot tho... But I couldn't change it anymore. It was just one of those things where I imagined him and the first name that came up was that one... Oh well.**

**Also, no review answers this time. Sorry. :D I'll answer all next time. I've been feeling a little uninspired. o.O Every day's the same…**

**Ssus stage out! (I've been watching Sailor Moon Stars…)**


	11. Chapter 11 - Room of Angel

**When Luffy Went a Little too Far - Chapter 11**

**Yahharooo! I'm back a little sooner than usually! And it's all thanks to the wonderful reviews I've gotten lately. :o Thank you so very much! You guys are great. ,O.O, Thank you, thank you, thank you! I had so much fun writing this. :) Or maybe fun isn't the right word, since it's quite dark… but anyway, I hope you like it!**

**Warnings: Alright! Finally I get to write something here. :3 Nothing good tho. Some pretty explicit describing of torture here, people. So, if you think you can't handle that, you may only read until the part where Genzo appears. No further than that, you hear me! **

**Disclaimer: Don't own it. One Piece. The characters. Nothing.**

**Name of chapter: Room of Angel by Akira Yamaoka, known from Silent Hill. I think this song has the exact desperate fear Luffy would be feeling. ;(**

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**Chapter 10: Room of Angel**

On the Revolutionaries' ship, with Chopper, Franky and Brook

Even though the upcoming news about their Captain hovering so close ahead, Brook and Chopper took their time inspecting the ship they were in. It was huge, about the size of a marine battle ship. So far they'd just been walking along a very long hall and there was already all sorts of things to look at. The walls were made of soothingly deep brown colored wood and decorated with some posters and pictures here and there. The posters were most of wanted pirates or clips cut out of newspapers. Every now and then they passed a door, but each one was closed.

At the end of the hall they entered a door that led down steep stairs. Once at the bottom the two Straw Hats found themselves in a very warm and well lit room full of beds and tables. Choppers eyes went wide when he realized that it was a huge infirmary. He took in all the amazingly advanced equipment, the rows and rows of medical books on one of the walls and the endless shelves of different medicines. He looked at his own little to-go bag and felt a little embarrassed. He would never trade his own little infirmary for anything, but he just felt a little silly coming in here thinking he could actually do something with the simple equipment he had.

The man who was leading them with Sam's help sat down on a bed next to another bed that was occupied by an old, heavily injured man. Chopper gasped at how thin and frail the old man looked. He quickly jumped on the stool next to the bed, introduced himself hastily and started inspecting the old man without further questions. Sam and the dark haired man next to him looked at the little doctor a little amazed, but let him do his thing.

After a while Chopper was done with the general check-up.

"Ossan, would you mind if I took some blood from you? Your pulse is awfully quick and blood pressure high. Also, it looks like you are very malnourished. A man of your age should be really careful with things like these, it could be very serious if you let this go any further." The reindeer rambled on while already drawing some blood samples without even waiting for his patient's approval. The old man looked at Chopper with a sad, gentle smile.

"Bwahaha. So you two are that kid's crewmates. I guess I should've known that he would have such unique friends." Chopper came to a halt in the middle of bandaging the old man's elbow. His baffled eyes met the kind grey once with a curious look. Brook also came closer, wanting make sure he heard every word these people had to say about Luffy.

"Make sure you inspect those blood samples well and be prepared a with treatment against this God awful poison that man forced into us. You are going to need it for your Captain." Both of the Straw Hat's were stunned silent, shaking a bit with anticipation.

"A… A poison? You mean… There's a… What?" Chopper was speechless. He wasn't sure which way he should be or what he should think. He tried to process the information he'd gotten so far. There was the young man on the other bed who had said he'd talked to Luffy just today. Then there was the old man who had supposedly also been where ever Luffy was. Both of these men in front of him were horribly beaten, skinny and exhausted. Which meant…

"Ossan, you know where Luffy is? Is he okay? How did you meet him?" There were so many questions floating through his mind.

"Bwahaha. Yes, I know where the kid is. Or where he was. Now..." He let out a heavy sigh and then with some effort he positioned himself so that he could do a sort of a bow towards Chopper and Brook.

"Please forgive us for failing to save the kid. He was in no condition to take care of himself, and I told him my people would help him. But as it turns out, I broke my word. As of now, I don't know where he is. I'm sorry."

Brook put his hand on his little nakama's shaking shoulder for comfort and took over the conversation for him.

"There is no need to apologize. We are thankful for whatever information you can provide us. Can you tell us everything you know?" The old man lifted his head and looked at Brook, his eyes swimming with emotion.

"Bwahahaha. You lot sure are interesting. Too polite to be pirates, I'd say. Then a again, knowing your Captain is who he is… _cough_… pardon me. Now, I can't tell you much. Just that I was held in a cell with Luffy at Genzo's ship. He's not doing too great. He was given the same poison as us. Nasty stuff, that's why we can't eat. Makes you puke up everything. The kid seemed to take that pretty hard, not being able to eat. A stubborn one that Captain of yours. He angered Genzo like I've never seen him being angered before, and I've been after him for awhile. Was held in there quite long t… _cough cough_…" The man went into a bad coughing fit which drew Chopper back from his shock. After hearing about the poison and them not being able to eat, he knew he needed to act fast. The ran to the medicine shelves and with a quick apology for intruding he started gathering what he needed to make the needed liquid. He worked quickly and sooner than anyone could believe, he was hooking the old man along with the younger one on IV's.

"Here, these won't help with the poison, but at least your bodies are getting some of the nutrients they need. I will have to look at the poison later. Now… You said Luffy was also given this poison? Do you know the amount?" The little Doctor had a notepad and a pen with which he was quickly scribbling down different possibilities for poisons and their treatments.

"Khuh… well, as far as we know, he was only given it once. But that put together with the bullet… I'd imagined it's not good." Chopper immediately stopped writing and looked at the man alarmed.

"Bullet? What bullet?" Bullets didn't work on Luffy, except…

"A kairouseki bullet. He was shot three times when he was captured. I think one of them just nicked his leg, but one went through his shoulder and one is still stuck in his stomach." The old man explained wearily. He could see the growing horror in the pirates' eyes.

"It's still… No! You can't do that, that's… Something like that would..." Chopper couldn't finish his sentence for he had no idea what would happen. But just the thought of having even the smallest piece of kairouseki _inside _a devil fruit's user for a long period of time… It made him shudder. He knew what it felt like to fall in the ocean. He knew what it felt like to be touching that damned stone… He tried to think about all the facts he knew about long term exposure to kairouseki. He'd read about some research on the subject, but he'd never finished said papers because the experiments seemed to be just another word for torture in his eyes. He remembered how weak Robin was after Enies Lobby, being held in kairouseki cuffs non-stop for a long time. She'd felt the effects weeks after that. She'd been tired and fatigued, her white blood cell levels had been lower than normal, making her immune system weaker and her body more exposed to illnesses. And that had been after only two days of being in cuffs…

He knew he couldn't do much for Luffy now, except be as prepared as he could. He would take this chance and see it as a blessing in disguise.

"Can you tell me anything else about his condition? How were the wounds? Any sign of infection, fever, redness? And how about any other injuries?" Brook looked at Chopper with admiration as the tiny reindeer went on about this in an unbelievably professional manner. If you didn't know him better, one would've said that he was perfectly calm. But Brook knew him better. He could see the almost non existing tremor of Chopper's knees (never his hoofs, after all, he was a trained doctor and always had steady hooves), and the way his blue nose was crunched up a little, indicating that he was focusing very hard on anything besides the overwhelming worry he was feeling. Brook himself was miserably failing in keeping up any kind of front. He'd moved back to the empty bed on the old man's left side and sat down, holding his head in his hands while taking deep breaths. It made him angry to think that someone was deliberately hurting his always so happy and carefree Captain. He was done being a gentleman. When he got his hands on this Genzo person, he would show him what it meant to face the living dead.

He tried to tune back to the conversation as the old man kept on explaining every detail he remembered, but honestly, Brook had heard enough.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Chopper-san, Ossan." The Skeleton was standing again, looming over the little group around the bed, showing his amazing height in all its glory. His eyes were shaded with the brim of his hat and he seemed to be emitting an energy that was out of this world. Even Chopper shrunk back a little. He'd never seen the musician looking this threatening.

"Do you by any chance know where Genzo might have taken my Captain?" The old man looked at the skeleton closely, seeing the loyalty and love under the rage and worry. The same love could be seen in the little Doctor as he kept his mind cool and collected, knowing that that was the only way he could help his friend. He couldn't help but smile. Apparently it didn't matter that they weren't able to save the kid. That kid obviously had people who would go to the ends of the earth to get him back and nothing could beat that.

"Bwahahaha! Seems like I don't need to worry about the youngster anymore. He's in good hands." He smiled brightly at the pirates who were a little taken aback by the fondness in that smile. It was as astounding as ever how Luffy succeeded in making people care about him.

"Yes I can tell you where he is, most likely. Given the location we were at when were rescued, we think Genzo was heading to Misto Island. He has a few trading posts there. The main one will be easy to find, but given the circumstances, I doubt he'd taken the kid there. Lucky for you, you are talking to someone who happens to know most of Genzo's side posts. Sam, be a darling and give them the map with all the locations we've narrowed down as possible hideouts." The girl bowed and disappeared up the stairs.

"Thank you. We are eternally grateful. I shall head out with Franky-san right away. I'm sure Nami and the other's are heading to that same island. Chopper-san, you stay here and help them however you can. And make sure you are ready, for when we get Luffy back, he's going to need you." With that the musician walked after Sam and was gone before anyone else had time to react.

Chopper had stars in his eyes and tears streaming down his face.

"Brook is so cool! I have to do my best too." With a newfound determination Chopper started making rounds around the infirmary, tending to all the people that had been injured during the rescue mission, his mind set on doing this well and quickly so he could get to figuring out the poison as soon as possible. After all, he wasn't just any Doctor, he was the Doctor of the future Pirate King.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

Genzo's secret hideout, with Luffy

Luffy was pretty sure that when you started to get used to waking up all groggy and not knowing where you are, you could say that the situation was pretty bad. Because, yes, he had once again woken up to that heavy feeling of being submerged completely, only it got worse every time it happened.

Gone was the sweet numbness he remembered hating once upon a time. It had been replaced with the pain he first experienced when being tortured by Genzo, except it had intensified and spread like a fire. He couldn't even tell for sure where it was coming from anymore. It was all over, consuming his whole being to the point where he could swear that it wasn't logically possible he was even conscious. The only two things he could separate from the pain was that he was horribly cold, shivering and shaking all over and that he could not breath. That was probably the worst of all. Every breath was a struggle that left his lungs feeling like they were crushed and his head was woozy with the lack of air.

So yeah, not fun.

Luffy wasn't sure how long he laid there, his only goal being the next breath he was supposed to take in. He really didn't want to even try and collect his thoughts. He had done that a lot too, thinking. It was one of the reasons why he hated being alone: it meant he had to do all the thinking himself.

The young Captain knew that a lot of people would think of him as weak since he was so dependant on others simply to survive in his day to day life. But they didn't know he did just fine after Ace left and it was just him waiting for his turn to start his own adventure. Well, he did have Makino and Dadan along with the bandits, and his Grandpa visited every now and then… but that was besides the point. The point was…

Wait a minute, what was he thinking about again? _Damn it, it hurts so bad… OH RIGHT!_

The point was that now that he was so used to having his crew around and not worrying about anything but making sure his nakama were okay and somewhat safe, he didn't know how to take care of himself anymore. And wasn't there some people who had helped him? Yeah, Bari Bari no Ossan and Hidoi-kun. What happened to them? Or maybe they were still here but he just couldn't sense them.

_Time to try to open my eyes…_

Very carefully Luffy blinked his eyes open and then quickly back shut again. He didn't want to take the risk of hurting them any more than necessary in case there was a bright light in the room.

_See, all this thinking is making me smarter already._

But there was no light in the room at all. Or maybe he was blind? He tried again, this time daring to keep his eyes open a bit longer. With heavy lids he did his best to focus on something, but couldn't. Next task was to move his head. With a deep breath to ready himself (which just caused a coughing fit that hurt like hell and made breathing only that much harder) he relaxed the muscles in his neck and let his head fall on the right. And there! There was a window on what Luffy assumed was a door to the room he was in. Few dim rays of light shone through the three thick bars that decorated the very small square shaped hole.

Bars… So he was in a cell then. He was in a cell before too, with Bari Bari no ossan. But then…

And it all came rushing back to him. Being carried, falling, Genzo's voice… He felt ashamed how just the memory of that voice sent chills down his spine. And just like bad guys had a habit of doing, said bad guy chose that very moment to enter the room.

Luffy thanked the fact that he had turned his head earlier, because now he could see his enemy. Then again, what he saw was not something he wanted see. Somehow the light illuminating the figure at the door made him look that much more intimidating.

Tired eyes stared back at the crazy gleam shining in Genzo's black glare. His plan had been ruined by those ever meddling revolutionaries. He had lost some of the biggest sales he'd ever had. But he had refused to let the Straw Hat go. That boy who somehow dared to stare him down, even now. There he was, lying broken and defeated on the freezing floor, half dead and still, behind the fear and pain there was a fire that refused to go out. And it made him mad, in both senses of the word. It had gotten to the point where he no longer cared whether he got his money or not. He just wanted to make it disappear! Damn money and damn his business!

So when those bloody roaches invaded his ship and it became clear that his men had no chance against them, the first thing he thought was getting Straw Hat. Of course stopping them from taking the boy was extra sweet knowing his relationship to the big boss behind the merry gang of so called revolution. It had taken some effort. The ship had already been partly sinking and the smoke coming from the flames had made finding the boy rather difficult. But it had also helped him avoid unnecessary confrontations.

The moment he spotted the yellow hat, he'd drawn his sword and attacked the man carrying the pirate. Only he had underestimated the man and instead of killing him off instantly, he had to fight the guy off. On the good side the man had dropped Straw Hat, and after knocking him down, it was a piece of cake to jump to the lower deck after the fallen boy, and hide in the smoke again.

He'd pick up the shivering body and jumped with him in the pitch black water where he waited for his selected men who were always ready to pick him up in case something like this happened.

They'd arrived on Misto Island as planned, but instead of going to his usual trading place, he'd taken the boy to his side post, not interested in facing any angry clients.

And here he was, staring at the problem himself. (Or what he had convinced himself into believing being the problem).

He remembered the absolute terror he'd seen in the pirate Captain's eyes when he'd reacted to the poison in the food. He'd decided it was time for another round.

"Not doing so well, are you?" He teased as he walked over to the other side of the room to light the torch there. He needed a good light to see clearly, of course.

"You should be thanking me, you know. I could've left you in the ocean. Would've been a nice, quick death at that point. Oh wait..." he lit the other torch on the left side and then turned to smirk at his victim who had somehow succeeded in turning his head so he could see Genzo again.

"Now that I think about it, maybe you shouldn't thank me at all. You see, you have made me quite angry, and what I have in mind as a punishment makes a quick nice dead sound… well, nice." Genzo waved at the person standing by the door and took the item offered to him. It was a tube with a funnel at the other end. The doubtful look he got from the Straw Hat just for seeing said item made him shiver with pleasure.

"Gurahaha… You know what it's for yet? You see, I normally use this method to make sure my merchandise learn not to steal food. It might be a bit extreme, I admit. I mean, after this some never eat again. Gurahaha..." Genzo man was now kneeling next to Luffy and bringing the funnelless end of the tube dangerously close to the pirate's face. Panicked eyes darted to look at the bowl that was now being held in view by the man standing silently on Luffy's other side.

"But, that ain't my problem now, is it? Besides, most of my clients use their slaves so quickly they die anyway. Gurahaha! Now, let's see how quickly you learn."

Luffy used up every thread of strength he had left to turn his face away from the tube, but it was kind of sad how little that did to help him. Genzo took a hold of his chin and easily turned the terrified eyes back his way. The black orbs soon disappeared behind tightly shut lids as the slave trader squeezed on his captive's jaws to make his mouth open and started to force the tube down the boy's throat.

Luffy had never been as scared in his life. Well, maybe back in Sabaody on that horrible day, or when he realized Ace was dying. He'd been scared plenty of times, but never for himself. This was torture. This was terrifying, and not because he felt like he was dying. He was rather okay with dying, actually. But the fact that he felt like he was dying, but knew he wouldn't… That scared him more than anything.

Not being able to breath got a whole new meaning when he felt the thick tube scraping the sides of his throat. He gagged, coughed and trashed but nothing stopped the intruding object. It pushed further down and for a moment Luffy panicked, thinking that it might end up in his lungs. But apparently Genzo knew what he was doing because he was now confidently taking the bowl of mashed food from his minion and starting to pour it in the funnel.

At this moment Luffy didn't even have the sense to fear the effects of the poison he knew was in the food. He could feel the tube shape with the food, getting thicker and then thinner again. Next came the pain in his stomach. The food was filling his already abused stomach way too fast and it started to cramp in protest almost instantly. The gagging got worse and tears streamed down his face as the torture went on. The only hope Luffy had was that he would pass out from the lack of breathing, but just when he thought he would, Genzo pulled the tube out forcefully, leaving the boy's throat throbbing and scratched raw.

The slave trader watched with curiosity as his captive squirmed and arched on the floor, trying to get some air in his lungs. His eyes were still closed, but the moment they shot open Genzo knew the poison had started to work. With what was probably just the power of adrenaline at this point Luffy rolled to his side and threw up everything that had just been forced into him. The pain was making his stomach spasm and somewhere inside him the bullet made itself known as he convulsed and shook.

As quickly as it started, it ended, and Luffy was reduced to a sobbing mess. It wasn't fair how his lungs refused to work properly, how his heart seemed to beat too quickly to keep up with the abuse, how his limbs twitched every now and then as his exhausted muscles protested the treatment. It just wasn't fair that he had to endure this. Blood and food was mixed together as it still dripped from the corner of his mouth. He couldn't even close his eyes, he just stared as shock started to overtake his abused body.

Genzo on the other hand was thriving. The blank stare on the Straw Hat's face was getting close to what he wanted to see. But a little more, he just had to find that one thing that would push the stubborn pirate over the edge. He considered this for awhile. The boy was obviously exhausted. Even with all the pain he was in, Genzo could see his consciousness giving in and his tired eyes slipping shut. He wouldn't have any of that. He was an expert on torture, and knew exactly what he would do next. He got up and whispered to his minion who fled the room, only to come back with an old looking record player. The slave trader hummed a happy little tune as he set everything up and took one last look at the boy on the floor before placing a pair of earplugs on himself. He gestured for his minion to leave, which he did happily.

"Hope you have a good night's sleep, boy. You obviously need it. Gurahahahaha!" Genzo smiled maliciously as he set down the needle on the record. He left the room quickly, hearing the screeching noise even through the earplugs.

Luffy had been blissfully close to falling asleep when his head was filled with the most horrible sound he'd heard. It was a high pitch screech, a monotonous, never ending tone that made his eyes water only five minutes after it started. There was nothing he could do but keep listening. He was so beyond tired that he couldn't even lift his hand to cover his ears. And no matter how much his body wanted, the sound wouldn't let him fall asleep. He was stuck inside the screech, feeling like he was becoming one with it, knowing it would never end. This was probably what hell was like. An unbearable torture you could never escape from.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

Genzo's secret hodeout, with Genzo

It was early in the next morning when Genzo woke up, already excited to visit his captive. He still had a few more things he wanted to try out.

Somewhere between capturing the Straw Hat Boy and now his whole world had changed. His boring life of catching more promising high bounty people to sell to boring, airheaded rich bastard. The disappointment he'd gotten every time he thought he'd finally found someone who might entertain him for longer than a few days and then proving himself wrong. But this boy… He was so much fun! Genzo had never faced such a challenge before. He was going to break the boy, and then he would leave the pathetic excuse of a pirate somewhere for his so called _nakama _to find. He didn't care about the bounty or the glory he'd get for handing the infamous Straw Hat Luffy to the World Government. He just wanted _them_ to know what he'd done. The Crew. He wanted them to see he'd face the challenge and he'd won. That he'd beaten the Captain they had such high hopes for. Yes. First the crew would know, and then the rest of the world. It would be on the papers everywhere that he, Genzo, had put out the fire they called one of the eleven supernovas, one of the worst generation.

Genzo realized somewhere in the back of his mind that he was starting to leave all sense behind, but who cared. He already had enough money to last for the rest of his life. And besides, he'd only done slave trading because he didn't know what else to do. Now, for the first time ever he was getting thrilled over something. He had a goal, a purpose, and that was to destroy Straw Hat Luffy.

He took his time to get ready before heading to the cells. He made sure his ears were protected before entering the room and quickly turning of the torturing sound. He had made sure that one of his men came to rewind the record back to the beginning every hour. That way it would have the effect he was looking for. And just as he thought, when he took the earplugs out and looked at the Straw Hat, what a beautiful sight it was.

The boy was had deep purple rings under his eyes, said eyes being bloodshot and weary, full of anguish. The was a touch of what Genzo could only call insanity hiding in those onyx some point during the night the boy had started to scratch the floor, probobly in an effort to escape the torture to his mind. All it had done was break his nail and make his fingers bleed.

"Slept well then, I assume. Had a pretty good night myself. Gurahaha!" He kneeled next to the boy and gripped his hair painfully to turn his face towards his assailant.

"You know, I was thinking and I realized that we should really get you cleaned. All that blood and dirt… Can't be very healthy. But no worries, I've prepared a nice cool bath for you." Not bothering to wait for any kind of reaction Genzo just stood up and pulled the boy after him, still having a strong grip on the youngster's hair.

he dragged his prey little ways down the hall to another room with an old, rusty bathtub in it. The tub was filled to the brim with ice cold water and Genzo wasted no time plunging the boy's head under the freezing liquid. That was when Luffy finally became aware of what was going on.

The stabbing pain of the water brought him back to reality in a truly cruel way. He tried to push against the side of the tub to get to the surface, but failed miserably. It seemed like forever of numbing coldness that froze his brain before he was pulled back up.

Luffy coughed and spluttered as the water excited his mouth and nose. He had had no time to take a breath before being submerged and the water had immediately invaded his lungs. He took a few shuddering, painful breaths before he was forced back under.

This went on for a few minutes, but Genzo soon got bored. There was no point in this if he couldn't see the boy's face. He dragged the boy back to the cell and finally let go of his hair. Luffy was now shivering madly from being drenched in the cold water. He was gasping loudly, barely getting any air in. His lungs were failing him.

Genzo paced back and forth and wondered what he should do. He realized that making breathing even harder for the boy probably hadn't been a good idea. the poor thing sounded like he was choking.

With a depe sight the slave trader decided he needed a time out. His mind was abandoning him, he was losing all logic. He couldn't go on like this or the boy would die. He turned back to the boy when he finally decided what to do next.

"How does it feel, eh? Hurts, I bet. But no worries, I have a little something here for you to make you feel a bit better." He took a vial from his jacket pocket and slowly inserted the clear liquid in the skinny elbow of his victim.

It took exactly three seconds for the boy's eyes to roll back as he lost consciousness and his body relaxed.

Genzo took his sweet time staring at the face that was dripping with water and even in sleep it was crunched up in pain. He stood there mesmerized, wondering how one boy could get him so worked up and completely lose his… well, everything, it seemed. He lost his best ship, most of his men and all other captives… Yet, as he stood there staring at the helpless body on the floor he felt satisfaction like never before.

His momentum was interrupted by one of his minions running in to the room, looking panicked.

"Genzo, sir! We just found the front guards beaten up in the East side storage room. We don't know when this happened, but we think there might be an intruder in here. What should we do, sir?!"

The slave trader looked at his man, bored and irritated.

"Find them, of course! Take care of it. I don't want to be disturbed anymore. Now GO!"

The man bowed quickly and rushed off. Genzo sat down by the wall and settled to stare at the sleeping pirate, waiting for him to wake up.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**Sooo… Genzo's sort of losing it, don't you think? Torture… Not fun. . **

**I still find it a challenge to write Luffy like this. I just want him to be happy again! ,-.-,**

**Anyways, that was it. Next time we'll find out what's going on with Nami's group and who was it that invaded Genzo's hideout. Till then! ^^**

**Review answers:**

**LovelyMinx17 : **Thank you! Here's some more suspense. ;)

**gamelover41592: **Thanks. Your reviews are short and to the point. I like that. :D Thank you for staying with the story this long!

**lany-chan: **I know! Shouldn't be too long anymore, judging from Brook's reaction. I think the Straw Hat´s are more than ready to kick some serious ass! Let's cheer them on.

**mister8pyromane: **Will we see Sabo, huh? Well, let's just say that I love him and am dying to try writing him. ;)

**kanji855: **Thanks for the support and here's another chapter! ^^

**ichigo1508: **Isn't cliffhangers what we live for? They bring so much excitement in life. :D

**nani-onigiri: **You sing too!? Awesome. :D I sometimes annoy even myself when I just can't answer normally, I always have to sing things… -.-

I hope you liked this chapter, personally I'm really happy with it. :) An angry Brook gives me chills. Thank you for your reviews, I love them love them love them! ^^

**Camrynrose14: **Yey! I've got somebody hooked. Mwahahahaa! Hope you liked this chapter too!

**Hweianime: **Ooo, what an inspiring review. :o Thank you! Here we had some Luffy again… Hope you liked it. :)

**The voice of all things: **Yeey. I'm glad you like the story. Here's some more! ^^

**sam-free15: **Here it is! Till next time. :D


	12. Chapter 12 - The Night Before the Battle

**When Luffy Went a Little too Far - Chapter 12**

**Here I am again, with a new chap. Not one of my favorites, this one, but a necessity, I guess.**

**Warnings: Mild violence.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

**Name of chapter: Pretty obvious in meaning. A track called 'The Night Before the Decisive Battle' from Xenoblade Chronicles.**

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**Chapter 12 - The Night Before the Battle**

A random bar on Misto Island, with Nami, Robin, Sanji and Zoro

"So… now what?"

Nami, Robin, Sanji and Zoro had finally made it to Misto Island. To make sure there would be no unnecessary trouble they had anchored the marine ship close to a quiet fishing village at the East end of the island. Ironically enough, the name that had sounded ridiculously obvious, was exactly that. The whole island was covered in thick mist that prevented them from seeing more than five feet ahead. Getting to the island would have been a nearly impossible task without Nami's excellent navigating skills.

The small group of pirates didn't even bother to wear disguises anymore. The common attire on the entire island seemed to be dark cloaks and hoods that covered the people's faces (whether it was because only illegal business seemed to be happening here or to protect everyone from the chilly weather, they weren't sure) so they opted to dress according to the rather pirate friendly style.

Their first order of business was to figure out where the main slave trading business happened. All they needed was for Robin to listen in on a conversation of two men near the docks, and already they knew they should head to the main "fishing" town of the island. And it's "fishing" because, as Nami put it: 'There is no way anyone here actually believes that fishing excuse. With the mist and this weather, the only thing they'll be fishing out of those waters is wrecked ships."

At the moment, the four strawhats were sitting at a bar, huddled in a corner and talking in hushed voices.

"So far the locals have tried to sell us drugs, obviously stolen jewelry, slaves and what smelled like booze someone brewed in their own cellar. I'm starting to wonder if there is anything legal happening around this place. Not that I blame them, not much else one can do here." Sanji looked at the small dingy bar with distaste.

"Yes, I'm quite certain the people here don't have much say in the matter. It's kind of sad. To even have a place like this… It's perfect for people like Genzo. I doubt the World Government even bothers to come here." Robin mused as she sniffed the cup of coffee she had before putting it down with her nose wrinkled up in disgust. Zoro had been oblivious enough to actually take a sip of his beer and was now coughing it up outside.

Sanji was starting to get a headache from the smoke that filled the air, which was saying a lot, since he was a heavy smoker himself. He was sure that if he was having trouble breathing, then the others were too. He wanted to get Nami and Robin out of this place as quickly as possible.

"Okay, so like said before... Now what? By now we know Genzo is anything but an idiot. He knows we're after him and I'm pretty sure he would not take Luffy to that place we passed. I mean, the place has a huge sign with his name on it." Sanji was referring to Genzo's 'main office' they had walked by on their way. It was the biggest building they had seen on the entire island so far and it was not hidden at all. Quite the opposite; it seemed that Genzo did not need to be careful about his business on this island, which confirmed their suspicion about the marines either ignoring the whole thing or just not bothering to even come here, since they would have to arrest every single person they came across.

Robin agreed with Sanji.

"Yes, he is pretty open about his business, but having a price like Luffy, he would have either gotten rid of him the moment he got here, or taken him somewhere more private. Now we just have to find out..." Robin was interrupted by a very familiar laugh that echoed through the bar.

"Yohohohohoho!" All three Straw Hats at the table turned to see Zoro walking back in with a skeleton and a cyborg in his tow.

"Look who I ran into." He said as he sat down. The beer he'd drank earlier was still not quite settled in his stomach, but now was not a good time to be sick. A real swordsman could wait.

"Brook!? Franky!? You're here!" Nami cried out in surprise. There was no way of describing the relief she felt seeing these two. They had obviously brought the Sunny with them which made this whole thing that much easier. Also, it was good that they were starting to re-assemble. Now they were only missing Usopp and Luffy, and after that... No wait...

"Where's Chopper? Please tell me he didn't get lost by himself somewhere? I don't think I can handle it anymore..." Nami groaned at the thought. Surely Chopper was smart enough to stay with the rest?

"Yohohoho! Chopper-san is quite alright. We ran into some people on our way here, he stayed behind to help them, they had been injured in battle, their doctor included. You know how Chopper-san is, he would never leave people in trouble. And in this case we owed them. It turns out that our Captain has once again succeeded in making new friends..." Brook went on explaining everything that had happened, from the marines to the revolutionaries. Nami was sheeting about the Den Den Mushi that had refused to come out so the three pirates on the Sunny could have contacted the rest. Franky could have sworn he heard the navigator mutter about different ways of de-shelling a snail, and made a mental note to hide the little guy in Chopper's infirmary until Nami calmed down. Robin perked into attention after hearing about the revolutionaries getting involved. Sanji and Zoro just listened through the story nonchalantly. It was mostly just a day like any other, revolutionaries or not. But when they heard about said revolutionaries meeting Luffy, the story got a whole new meaning.

"Wow. There's all sorts on the move around here, huh? So you're telling us these people saw Luffy? And... How was he?" Sanji gladly took out a cigarette from the pack Franky had had with him. At the moment he was too happy to smoke his own cigarettes to care why Franky would have them with him, or care about the fact that he would be adding to the smoke in the air and make Robin and Nami even more uncomfortable. All he knew was that smoking a cigarette of his own would make his headache lessen. The cigarettes Robin had given him were good, but nothing beat his own favorite brand.

At Sanji's question, Brook's expression darkened to a scary scowl that sent chills down the rest of Strawhats.

"Well, let's just say that we owe Genzo a bit more than just a beating..." Though this news brought their mood down, it also gave them the extra boost of motivation they all needed right now. Zoro left to get his swords (Robin went with him, after all there was no way they could let the swordsman go anywhere by himself at this point) and the others gathered around the maps Brook had gotten from Sam. They had come to the conclusion that Genzo would most likely be at his hideout which was located west of the main port. It was in a private place, well hidden and easily accessed only by small boats so no unwanted guests would bother. The place would be heavily guarded so they needed a good plan. When Robin and Zoro came back, Nami explained what they had come up with so far.

"Alright, So we've agreed to go in two groups. Zoro, Franky and Robin will be going in first through the front, causing a ruckus and hopefully attracting the attention of most of the guards. The rest of us will go in somewhere in the back, if there's a way. Brook, you'll cover us, Sanji will stay with me since I won't be able to carry Luffy by myself. In case something happens to Brook or we get separated, I'll do my best to cover Sanji. That's pretty much it. We can't plan any further before we see this place, so let's get going."

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Genzo's secret hideout, with Usopp

Everything had gone a little too well for Usopp. He was starting to think that there was no way his good luck could go on much longer. After staying the night at the hotel and eating breakfast, he'd gone on inquiring about a possible ride to the Misto Island. There had been a merchandise ship going there that very morning, and they didn't mind letting him on for free. They said they were taking a wood cargo to the other island, but from the dingy look of the crew Usopp doubted their business was quite as clean as they wanted him to believe. So he'd stayed on the deck, away from the rest of the passengers. Thanks to good weather and strong winds they had made it to Misto Island in record time. The suspicious looking crew had taken one look at Usopp and his colourful clothing and guessed right away what business he had on the island (maybe that's why they hadn't thought twice about letting him on board, they thought he was one of them) and pretty much pointed him straight to Genzo's main office.

Usopp had headed there straight away, appearing much more confident than he actually felt. Upon arrival he just happened to overhear two of Genzo's men explaining to whom Usopp assumed was one Genzo's customers that the man himself never arrived when he was supposed to and claiming they had no idea where their boss was. Right after the angry customer left, they laughed about the whole thing, off handedly mentioning that Genzo was at one of his more hidden locations with the Straw Hat.

So here he was now, standing in front of what looked like an old factory. It reminded him a bit of Punk Hazard, just without all the fire and ice. The building loomed over him dangerously and he started to fully realize that this what he was getting into. There was no way he was going to get out of there alive if he went in alone. But then again, Luffy was in there at this very moment, going through who knows what. So he couldn't just sit here and wait either, his nakama had been waiting for them long enough. Usopp decide that it was time to be the brave soldier of the sea he always claimed to be.

"Yosh! Just wait for me Luffy, I'll get you out of here soon."

There was a stone wall surrounding the building. It was cracked and looked like it would be easy to break, but the sniper didn't want to make too much noise just yet. He was a sniper after all, and he had the element of surprise if he did this right. So he used his 'Usopp AAaaaAAaaaAA!', which had been tuned a bit since Skypiea, and climbed to the top of the wall. There was spiked wire up there, but he easily cut through it and positioned himself so he had a clear view of what looked like the front entrance. In just 5 seconds both of the guards standing by that entrance were down.

"Huh! That's Captain Usopp-sama for you! Sogeking, the King of the Snipers..." Happily humming his self composed theme song he got down and walked to the door. He took a quick look inside (why on earth was the door wide open, he didn't know) and decided he should hide the two unconscious guards. After getting rid of them, he started to carefully walk along the wall of a big hall he found himself in. So far so good.

But just like he'd thought the moment he realized things were getting serious, his luck was about to run out. He'd chosen the wrong place to hide the guards; they'd been found almost instantly, and now he could hear people shouting and running all over the place. He started to panic and took off running himself. Since they knew that he was here anyway, there was no need to need to be careful anymore.

Two turns later he run straight into a group of guards. Not really having time to think, he turned around just to find out that he was completely surrounded. In another situation he would've fought back, but there were twenty of them with guns in their hands, and he was not fast enough to take them all down before he would get a bullet in the head. And, unlike some other members of his crew, he was not bullet proof nor was he super human enough to live in case he actually did get shot. So, he surrendered.

"W-w-wait! I'm not gonna fight back, so d-don't shoot..." He dropped his slingshot and raised his arms up in surrender and let the nearest guard bend his hands behind his back while snapping what looked like kairouseki cuffs on his wrists.

_Huh, so they don't even know who I am... Or maybe they've heard how amazing I am and are being extra careful! Yeah, that must be it..._

Usopp's thoughts gave him little comfort when he heard the next words.

"Let's take him to Genzo. I know he said he didn't wanna be disturbed, but this guy might be one of the Straw Hats and the boss will want to take care of this personally." Usopp gringed. He had heard nothing but horrible things about this Genzo person... And Luffy... He was about to see the man who dared to hurt Luffy! Even though his shaking knees gave away how scared he really was, the sniper had a determined frown on his face. He could be only meters away from his Captain, now was not the time to be a scaredy cat.

They walked deeper and deeper into the building and soon descended down a flight of stairs. Usopp found it weird that a place like this would have an underground level, but upon arrival to the bottom of the staircase, he realized that this floor must have been built by Genzo and his men. It looked new (as new as stone walls and creepy looking cells could look) and was lit by torches along the hall. He heard some whimpering and moaning behind some of doors they walked by and was already getting cold from the underground chill he was surrounded by. He really hoped Luffy had not been in this place for too long. Even that ball of sunshine would get outshadowed by this gloominess.

They jerked to a stop and Usopp was pushed to the side none too gently as the guard holding him knocked on the door they had stopped in front of. There was a grunt heard from the other side and the guard looked hesitant.

"Um... Sir? We caught the invader. We... We brought him to you, you know... In case he's one of the Straw Hats... What do yo-" he didn't have time to finish his sentence before the door was violently pulled wide open. Usopp found himself staring back at the man who was behind this whole mess his crew had gotten into. The man was huge and the gleam in his eyes seemed a little insane. He stared at Usopp for a long time before a horrifying grin turned his lips up.

"Gurahahaha! Yes! Isn't this perfect. The poor little pirate came to witness his dear Captain's last hours. Come on now, don't be shy. The Straw Hat is who you came here for, right?" Genzo stepped to the side and gestured for Usopp to step by him into the room.

But the sniper was afraid to move. This man looked a little too happy for his liking, and he had mentioned something about Luffy's last hours... No, he couldn't think like that. But the scariest part was that if Luffy really was in that room, then why couldn't he hear anything? Not a single thing could be heard from that room besides a ragged breathing and a horrible cough every now and then. And this was Luffy they were talking about; if he really was in there and not saying a word even though he most likely heard Genzo saying that there was someone here to see him, then...

With dread filling his heart, speeding it up to a painful rhythm that couldn't be healthy, Usopp swallowed loudly and took the few steps he needed to get over that door step. What greeted him left him paralyzed.

Usopp had seen many horrible things during his life, one of the worst being witnessing his mother's death. Sure, it wasn't gory or anything like that but he had been a child, and no child should have to see that. Most of the horrors he'd witnessed he had come across after becoming a pirate. Not that he could've really avoided that, being an outlaw and sailing through the world's most dangerous waters and all that. But there were two moments that came back to haunt him in his dreams even now. The other one was Enies Lobby; seeing his unbeatable Captain on the ground, unmoving and looking like he might never get up again. That had made him scared enough to use a dirty trick on Luffy and make the enemy come after himself just to get the Straw Hat moving again. And the other one was reading about the War of the Greatest and what happened to Ace. That one he hadn't exactly witnessed per se, but the feeling of not knowing whether Luffy was even alive or not had been overwhelmingly painful. On top of that realizing that he had failed to be there for the person who he himself had leaned on more often that he could count had reduced him into a bawling mess.

But this very moment had already wiped those memories with the utter wrongness of the scene in front of him. There was Luffy, and as much as he should be relieved that he had finally been able to find the missing boy, he just couldn't. Because to all the world that boy looked dead. Just... Dead. Screw final hours, Luffy couldn't have more than minutes left in him.

Wanting to make sure his nakama was actually breathing, Usopp scrambled forward only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Ready to bite that had off just to get moving, the sniper turned but stopped when he felt his hands fall free. Genzo was smirking at him, the cuffs that had been around Usopp's wrists swirling around his finger.

Not caring about the slave trader's reasons for freeing him, Usopp shot across the floor to kneel next to Luffy. He looked even worse up close. His skin was frighteningly pale, lips tinged blue and his whole body was covered in bruises and scratches, which was worrying since Luffy barely ever got any bruises thanks to his devil fruit powers and any scratches he managed to get usually healed before Chopper had time to bandaged them. Yet, here he was, looking like any normal person would after a fight gone wrong... Or a few days of torture.

As gentle as he could, Usopp reached out a hand to brush off a few strands of wet hair from Luffy's face. (The sniper frowned when he realized Luffy's hair was way too wet for it to be from sweat only). Upon touch he could feel how the boy was burning up even though he was shivering like a leaf.

That was when Luffy started coughing violently again, blood trickling down the side of his mouth. His breathing sounded like he was working on every breath way more than he should, and Usopp was at a loss as to what to do. He couldn't do anything. He wasn't a doctor, he couldn't heal Luffy. He wasn't a monster, there was no way for him to fight off the enemy and get Luffy out of there. He couldn't do anything...

Except... The man who did this to Luffy was standing right there, only a few feet away. That's when every bit of panic, worry, helplessness and fear fused into uncontrollable rage that made the sniper shake harder than the dying boy on the floor. He turned blazing eyes to glare at the still smirking slave trader and tensed his body, getting ready to blindly attack the source of his Captain's suffering.

But the moment was interrupted by a loud explosion. The ceiling shook and all the occupants of the cell turned to look upwards. A pause, then another explosion.

Genzo's hands balled into tight fists and he let out a ferocious growl. Without a word the man turned while slamming shut the door, trapping Usopp inside the cold cell with an empty feeling of failure. All the sniper could do was to wrap his arms around Luffy to share even an ounce of his body warmth while wishing to Kami that the rest of his nakama would arrive in time.

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**Okay... So I'm not exactly happy with this chapter. I can't even tell why, I'm just not. But I've rewritten and gone over it too many times now, I don't think it's gonna get any better for now, and I really need to get on with it.**

**I've also realized that I really want to go over the story and rewrite some stuff. But I guess I'll do that after the whole story is done. :) Maybe?**

**Till next time and Happy Thanksgiving to all who will be celebrating it! The rest of you keep looking forward to Christmas. ;P Or Hanukkah. Or any other celebration that's upcoming. :D I'm looking forward to all of them!**


	13. Chapter 13 - Lurking

**When Luffy Went a Little too Far - Chapter 13**

**I took my sweet time again, didn't I? Oops… But I have plans of abandoning this story, so no worries! :) Here's a new chapter after a long long wait! Hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own One Piece**

**Warning: ****Violence, language**

**Name of chapter: ****a track from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood soundtrack named 'Lurking'. In it's playful creepiness it fit a new character introduced in this chapter. **

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Chapter 13 - Lurking

Underground level, Usopp and Luffy

The temperature in the room seemed to drop by the minute. Usopp was currently cursing the fact that Luffy insisted on wearing shorts and slippers no matter the weather. Sure, he was rubber and almost never felt cold, quite the opposite, but the fact that the Straw Hat didn't _feel _the cold like the rest of them didn't mean he didn't _get _cold. Stubborn idiot. To make things a little bit better, Usopp had removed his own jacket and wrapped it around the Captain, but Luffy was still shaking like crazy. Yet his skin seemed to radiate heat like a furnace, and sweat was rolling in beads down his face. Usopp was no doctor, but no one could mistake the situation to anything but bad.

He had tried to inspect his friend a little better, just to make sure he didn't miss anything that he could possibly help with. He was a bit confused about how Luffy looked patched up and beaten up at the same time. Someone had obviously taken care of some of his wounds, the white bandages around his midsection and left shoulder looked professionally wrapped. But each wound seemed to be seeping with fresh blood, not to mention Luffy's wrist which looked broken (here Usopp seriously doubted himself, because hey, Luffy's bones didn't break) and all the bruises, lacerations and scrapes. His bandaged shoulder also looked weirdly swollen, making his whole left arm look limp and sort of twisted. Still, he wasn't sure what exactly was causing Luffy's current state. The sniper himself had been badly beaten up several times, and he knew a few broken bones or bruises didn't cause a fever. And Luffy's shoulder didn't look infected so… what?

He let out a heavy sigh, deciding there was nothing he could do for his friend but get them both out of here.

The sniper tried rounding the walls, searching for any way of getting out of their current prison. Something big had obviously happened, and now that Genzo and all his men were distracted it was their chance to slip away unnoticed. But the damn room was a cell after all, a cell made to hold some strong prisoners no less, so it was really no surprise that there were no weak spots. If only he had his sling shot… a few explosives and the wall would be down.. or maybe not. Rather, the ceiling might come down. The walls of the underground floor looked sturdy and well build, whereas the ceiling was only partly covered with a concrete layer. It looked like someone had gotten lazy and stopped mid way through the job.

Usopp was brought back from his thoughts by a wet cough and sounds of sputtering. He turned so quickly he tripped over his feet and fell down. Not really caring about his scraped knees, he crawled to his friend and looked down in worry. Luffy's breathing sounded increasingly worse, it was ragged and labored. But on the plus side, his shakes were slowly dying down. No wait, maybe that was a bad thing?

Usopp really had no idea what to do. He was starting to get truly desperate, the shaking of the ceiling and far off sounds off explosions completely escaping his attention. Luffy's complexion was starting to turn paler and paler, and the rosy hue he had had from the fever was disappearing. Usopp put a hand to his Captain's head to see if his temperature was still rising, but to his surprise he found that the clammy skin was turning cold. This was all way too quick. It wasn't more than ten minutes when he last checked him. But wouldn't that mean…?

Just as the realization hit him, the world was turned upside down and for a minute the sniper had no idea what was going on. His ears hurt, his vision went black and there was a sharp pain in his ankle. The earth itself seemed to shake as something blast through the room with incredible force. But as suddenly as it started, it was over, and all that was left was dust in the sniper's eyes and an irritating ringing noise in his ears. What happened?

Usopp tried to rub his eyes clear to take a look. The wall on his right had been blown in and parts of the ceiling had crumbled down around the two Straw Hats. Through his aching head Usopp tried to figure out a way to get the both of them up through the whole above them. It would be the quickest way out of here, especially since he had no idea how big a part of the bottom floor had been destroyed in the blast. He vaguely wondered what had caused the explosion, but as his mind cleared more, he realized it was time for action.

Usopp tried moving, but the pain in his ankle stopped him momentarily. _Twisted or broken, _he thought. He didn't dare to look down to see, because he knew if it looked as bad as it felt, he wouldn't be able to ignore it. He did however have to move a few pieces of the unfinished concrete ceiling out of the way to clear his way to Luffy. Besides looking like someone had decided to throw a bag full of dirt on him and a few new cuts, it looked like Luffy had been saved from any further damage.

The sniper sighed in relief. A small silver lining on a stormy sky, he supposed. But his relief was shortly lived when he moved his hands to lift Luffy on his back and noticed that the raven was completely still. No sounds of ragged breathing, gasps of pain or raspy coughs could be heard, the boy's face completely slack and peaceful.

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Ground level, Nami, Sanji and Brook

"Alright, I think we're good to go. Remember to stay low, especially you Brook. You're freakishly tall and we can't get caught by the surveilans snails. I'm sure they're going to realize soon that there's only three of us at the front." Nami was whispering her directions to the two men behind her. They had arrived at the old factory and found out that their plan would work out perfectly. The front doors were wide open and Zoro didn't waste any time (literally, Nami had screamed after him to stay put until they figured out the lay out of the place, but the swordsman was too keen on cutting down everything between himself and his Captain) Robin and Franky soon following after him. Nami just gave a sigh, wondering how they always ended up barging in places unorganized and without a fully worked out plan. Then again, their plans rarely played out the way they were supposed to, so in the end, it didn't really matter.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder when all of this had happened. She'd gone from being an orphaned baby to a happy, adopted daughter and sister, to a pirate hating orphan again, and now she was crawling on a floor of an old abandoned factory which was used to hold and torture kidnaped to-be-slaves and all of it in order to save one of the most notorious and infamous rookie pirates in the New World. So really, what happened? Sometimes when she really thought about it, the power her Captain possesed would scare even her. To think that someone could so completely and truly change a person. That added to his stubbornness and fools luck, everyone should be afraid of Luffy.

All of this brought her thoughts to Genzo. The fact that the man had somehow been able to take down a force like Luffy was unforgivable. The slave trader was the kind of person Nami truly hated. After becoming a pirate herself, she had learned that it wasn't the label that made anyone automatically bad. After all, even though they were outlaws, and yes, sometimes they stole things and maybe destroyed some property, the Straw Hat pirates, least of all their Captain, didn't have a mean bone in their body… except maybe Zoro and Robin.

And talking about Zoro and Robin, what were they doing?! They were supposed to make sure all the attention was on them, yet…

"Brook, think you got this?" Sanji was asking the laughing skeleton, who answered with a tip of his hat as he rushed to fend of the men that were blocking their way. Nami was too deep in thought to act quickly, but luckily Sanji was on top of things and pulled Nami down another hallway on their left. Suddenly the ground started shaking and they had to stop to keep their footing.

"What was that?" Nami wondered, only now slowly coming back to reality. For some reason she had trouble concentrating on the situation. Sanji lifted a hand to ask Nami to be quiet, and listened carefully. They stood like that for a few seconds, and then a distant blast echoed throughout the building, followed by another wave of shaking and crumbling. The building had obviously seen better days. The wall on their right started to crack and Nami couldn't help but feel a bit panicked. They had to find Luffy, now.

"Since the others are on this floor, let's go check the lower one before the place collapses on itself." The blonde's voice sounded somehow muffled in Nami's ears, but she ignored it and followed the cook down the stairs that lead to an underground at the bottom, Nami had to stop to look around. The lower level was obviously a lot newer than the rest of the building. Somewhere down the hall someone was calling for help, probably scared by the commotion happening above. She furrowed her brow. Why was Genzo holding people here? This was supposed to be a small back up place.

"Genzo must've build this for his own use. Understandable, considering what upstairs looked like…" Sanji muttered. Nami had to shake her head again. Why was Sanji's voice so quiet and weird? It almost sounded like he was having trouble talking.

While the navigator was trying to clear her head, Sanji looked at her in concern. He had noticed how the readhead started to space out a few minutes ago, and now that he thought about it, his own vision was beginning to blur a little. Maybe it was the dust in the air? Because the building shook again, this time harsher than before, and bits of dust and rocks were falling down on them.

"Let's keep on walking, we don't have much..." Sanji didn't even have time to finish his sentence before an ear blasting explosion was heard, and the ceiling above them started crumbling down. Out of instinct Sanji pushed Nami to the floor and tried to cover her the best he could. He wasn't even sure what was happening anymore, everything went dark and it was hard to breath. Only when the shaking finally stopped and the dust started to settle a bit, Sanji dared to peek from under his arm. He still couldn't see properly through the dust. The little light that the torches on the walls had provided was gone, but luckily there were holes on the ceiling now, some light shining through them. Looked like getting out of here had just become that much harder.

He got up carefully and checked if Nami was okay. She was still dazed, coughing and covered in dirt, but otherwise she looked fine.

"What the heck? If that was Zoro, I'm going to kill him..." The navigator muttered, and Sanji couldn't help but chuckle. He could clearly see how the swordsman could be behind the destruction.

They both got up and dusted their clothes, before looking around. The way they came was completely blocked. Not too worried about it, Sanji pulled Nami up and started walking the way way they had been originally going anyway. They were considerably slower now that they had to navigate their way through huge rocks and rubble, a few times Sanji had to kick down some bigger rocks, but it was nothing they couldn't handle. Sanji made it a point to check on Nami every now and then, making sure she was still keeping up and not getting dizzy again. The navigator had a disturbed look in her eyes and a green tint to her skin. They had passed a few cells that had completely caved in, only splatters of blood or a lone limp left from the occupants. They also heard a few more calls for help or whines of pain, but they couldn't let themselves care now. As horrible and wrong as it felt, in this situation they couldn't think of anyone but Luffy.

Swallowing back the bile she could feel in the back of her throat, Nami was starting to think and hear clearer again and wondered what had happened before to make her so dazed. She was about to ask Sanji what he thought when the cook suddenly put his arm out to stop her from walking any further and pointed at something in front of them. At first Nami wasn't sure what it was all about, but then she started to see the shape of someone walking towards them. The shape seemed to stagger from one side to the another, and it moved very slowly. Nami moved her hand to her clima tact, ready to give Sanji the chance to keep going in case it was an enemy. But there was no need for that, because…

"Usopp?!"

The navigator and the cook exclaimed at the same time, seeing their sniper stumble on some of the fallen rocks. At first they both broke into smiles, relieved to see their nakama in one piece. But the look in Usopp's eyes when he finally noticed the two of them wiped the smiles quickly.

"Hey, you okay..." Sanji was asking but stopped mid-sentence when he noticed a person carried on the sniper's back. It took him a moment to connect the message between the scared look in Usopp's eyes and the mop of black hair that could be seen behind his own curly one.

"LUFFY!" Nami had connected the dots before him and Sanji almost fell over when Nami pushed past him to get to the two other Straw Hats. Getting his balance back, he followed the readhead, and just in the nick of time too. Sanji worked quickly to catch his Captain while Nami tried to steady Usopp whose knees suddenly gave out.

"Usopp, what..." Nami tried to ask, but the sniper scared her to silence with his eyes that seemed almost mad.

"Help… please… L-Luffy he… He's not breathing..."

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Ground level, Zoro, Robin and Franky

Zoro felt like he was blind. He was swinging his swords, taking down man after man, not really seeing who it was he had just sliced to pieces. For all the world he was lost in his own mind. Genzo's men were disappointingly weak, not being able to maintain any sort of resistance as the first mate of the Straw Hat Pirates worked his way through the horde of enemies. Somewhere in the background Zoro thought he heard someone calling his name, asking him to wait, but he shut that out too. He didn't know for sure where exactly his Captain was, but he knew Luffy was in this building and he wasn't going to wait for another second. How could he call himself a first mate if he stopped now while his Captain could be around the very next corner, waiting for someone to get to him. He refused to let Luffy down any more than he already had.

He knocked away yet another man (where were they coming from? How many men could this slave trader have?) and slightly regretted not paying more attention, for he had apparently accidentally cut into some sort of gas tank and stumble a little from the blast when the tank exploded behind him. Oh well.

He vaguely remembered what Nami had said earlier about trying to figure out the lay out of the place first. Now that he was in the building, looking around him and seeing a rundown hallway after another, going through doors that lead into rooms full of old machines all looking exactly like the others, he admitted that maybe he should have listened. No way he was gonna ever say that out loud, but to be honest, he was lost.

On top of not knowing where he was or where he should be, he couldn't quite remember when he had gotten here. He was here to find Luffy, right? But somewhere along the way, things had gotten a bit hazy.

Another explosion could be heard, but this time it wasn't his fault, so he didn't pay too much attention to that.

In his blind one sided battle the swordsman had failed to notice a shadow looming above him. It kept growing in size, crawling towards him, eyes set on it's prey. Thanks to his observation haki, Zoro managed to dodge the blade by an inch. Finally pulling himself out of his resolve and into the moment, his eye widened, realizing he had almost just been bliz attacked. Not an easy task, except of course when he was as distracted as he had been. In front of him stood a freakishly tall blond man with a pair of scissors in his hands, a bored expression on his face. He was wearing a costume that looked like it should be on a 5-year-old, giving him a somewhat creepy look.

"Maaah…. I missed..." the man drawled out slowly, inspecting the the scissor blades like he was expecting there to be even one speck of blood on them. Not finding what he was looking for, his expression turned into something resembling angry. He turned to look at Zoro, who had just been staring, not quite getting over the shock of the surprise attack. Zoro had to take a step back when the man suddenly pointed one of his huge fingers straight at Zoro's face.

"Why did you dodge? Little toys should just stay still and get stabbed." Zoro wasn't sure if he was supposed to be irritated or exasperated at the fact that this man had just asked him why he had dodged a pair of scissors trying to pierce his head. But looking at the man's expression, he could tell the guy was being completely serious and had asked the question in all honesty, fully expecting an answer.

_Great, just what I needed.._ Zoro thought, about to tell the guy to piss off, when, once again, he just barely dodged those damn scissors aiming for his head. _What the hell?_ Twice in a row he had totally missed the man's movements until the very last second. What was going on?

"Hmm? You dodged again… Why? Just stay still already..." Now Zoro was starting to get annoyed. What was this guy's deal? Did he seriously expect people to just stay still and let him slaughter them with some hefty kitchen scissors? He was acting like a little kid.

"I don't know what it is you want, but you can go and find someone else to play house with, I don't have time for this!" Zoro grinded out from between his teeth and turned to leave. However his path was blocked by the freaking scissors again, snipping open and close in front of his face, looking tauntingly harmless. He looked up to see the blond looming over him, eyes shadowed and his whole mountain of a body shaking.

"I told you to stay still… Why won't you stay still..? You must be broken. I don't like broken toys, they should be thrown away, Genzo told me so. He said I could play, but this one is broken..." The man's voice was somewhat disturbing. It was low and rumbling, but had that childish whiny drawl in it. Zoro didn't like it one bit.

"The hell are you calling me? A toy? There must be a screw loose in that giant head of yours." He was rewarded by an angered cry and a hand that came straight down, looking like it was trying to mash a spider. He moved out of the way of course, now deciding that the only way he was getting rid of this weird freakshow was to make sure he wouldn't be able to move anymore. Getting ready to strike, he was shocked into stillness for the third time in the last few minutes. The giant man had simply disappeared, nowhere to be found and Zoro's observation haki was failing him big time. He couldn't pick up the man's presence anywhere. Only when a piercing pain made itself known on his left thigh did he realize the monster of a man was right behind him, a second pair of scissors, much larger than the ones the man had been holding just a few seconds ago, now sticking out of the swordsman's leg. The man swinged the scissors to the side, and Zoro felt himself being flown across the room. The blades had forcefully ripped out of his flesh and Zoro couldn't help the small gasp of pain that escaped from his lips. He came to a stop when he hit a wall and fell to the floor.

"Red looks good on little broken toys... All broken toys should be painted red." Zoro lifted his gaze to look at the man who was inspecting his weapon like before, this time with a smile on his face, smearing the blood on them with his fingers. This guy was insane.

The swordsman shook his head. Something was wrong. He couldn't concentrate at all. His thoughts seemed to be in shambles, and only now did he notice his vision getting blurry too. Something was making his mind fuzzy, and now he had a whole on one his legs and a crazy, seriously overgrown child waiting to 'paint him red' and cut him up with a pair of scissors like he was a craft project. Great. This was exactly what he needed when he was… was… was what? Why was he here anyway?

To prove everything he had just concluded, he could now feel a blade slicing his cheek. He had yet again missed the man's movements while trying to get his thoughts together. Growling in frustration he grabbed his fallen swords and rolled away from his enemy, rising to his feet and fixing his gaze on his target. The pain was making his leg shake a slightly, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. What did bother him was that when he finally managed to charge and attack the giant, he missed. The hell? His target was huge, how could he miss?

Zoro had no time to well on the thought when he stumbled over his own legs and fell to the ground in an ungraceful heap. He swore under his breath, his vision growing increasingly darker and blurrier. Someone was talking, but he couldn't make out the words. With one last effort to defend himself, he reach out a hand towards his swords which he had once again dropped, but his fingers never made it to their target before falling lifelessly to the floor.

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**Aaaaand… SCENE! Why is everyone so confused? Where is Robin and Franky? And how is poor Luffy doing? We'll find out next time. ;) **

**Ssus thanks ya'll for the reviews and favorites! ^-^**


	14. Chapter 14 - A False Lullaby

**When Luffy Went a Little too Far - Chapter 14**

**So... I went and wrote this in three days after posting the last chapter, but I never posted this one. :D I don't know what happened. Anyway, here it is.**

**Warnings: Nothing new.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own OP.**

**Name of chapter: Narnia Lullaby from the firsts movie. It fits, lulling in a threatening way, promising a false safety from trouble.**

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**Chapter 14 - A False Lullaby**

Underground floor, Usopp, Sanji, Nami, Luffy

A heavy silence hung in the air after Usopp's desperate plea for help. All Sanji heard was the sniper's sobbing and Nami's breathing which had picked up its pace to the point where Sanji vaguely thought it was turning into a panic attack and he should help her… no, not her. Luffy, because he was…

The blonde moved in slow motion. He lowered his head to look at the body he was holding. _Yep, it's Luffy alright. Good thing we got that covered.. damn it, focus! _But then again, maybe that wasn't the case after all. Because there was no way this was Luffy, because Luffy was loud, and happy, and annoying, and obnoxious… So therefore maybe this wasn't Luffy at all. He had been tricked. This was all some sick, unforgivable joke that…

"-ji! _Sanji! _SANJI!" The cook jumped, nearly losing his grip on the precious cargo he was holding. Usopp was screaming at him.

"The hell are you doing!? This is no time to be in shock, damn it, LUFFY IS DYING! He's not breathing, can you DO SOMETHING!" The sniper had pushed Nami aside, holding on to the wall to keep himself upright, staring at Sanji with a furious expression that promised death. Sanji shuddered. Never had he seen Usopp this serious, this angry, this _calm…_ Okay, so maybe not calm, but at least Usopp was doing _something, _had been doing something when trying to get Luffy the help he couldn't provide himself_. _But what could Sanji do? How could they expect him to do something more when they couldn't themselves?

And that's when Sanji felt the wetness on his cheeks, rolling down, tickling his face so innocently and then falling down on the dirt covered face of his Captain who was _not breathing! _And with two shaky fingers on a skinny neck he knew that there was no pulse either.

Through his tear blurred vision Sanji took a new look at Luffy, peacefully laying there like he had no worries in the world. How dare he!? He had no right! It was all his fault anyway. Sanji would've been perfectly content staying at Baratie, cooking away day after day with his merry band of food making pirates. But oh, _no! _Luffy had to walk in and make him believe that there could be more, that there _was _more. He made them all join him, asked them to follow and trust him, put their faith in him, and now he thought he could just die with a damn near smile on his face? Hell no!

Unbeknownst to the cook, he had been talking aloud, shouting his resentment out for the world to hear, making Usopp and Nami stare at him in awe. Through the rage they could see the panic and absolute terror that was so foreign on the man's usually nonchalant face. He had laid Luffy down on the uneven ground and started CPR. Not knowing what else to do, the two onlooking straw hats stayed in their place, silently praying while witnessing the utter breakdown of one of their strongest nakama.

When the compressions weren't getting him anywhere, in desperation Sanji took his fist and brought it down on Luffy's chest with all his might. This earned him two horrified gasps and a small whimper of protest, but he silenced them with one furious glare. Again and again he pounded on the lifeless boy's chest, not even close to being ready to admit what his unresponsiveness possibly meant.

"YOU!" Punch. "WILL NOT!" Punch. "DIE ON ME!" Punch. "DAMN!" Punch. "Bastard.." His voice cracked in the end and lost all of it's power, but he brought his fist down one more time, putting all his strength behind it, and was rewarded with what would from now on be the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard: A desperate intake of breath followed by wet coughs that indicated Luffy was alive.

"Luffy! Luffy, thank god!" Nami couldn't help the tears that had somehow refused to fall until now. She kneeled next to Luffy's head, lifting the mop of black hair to rest on her lap to make her Captain a little more comfortable and his breathing easier. She looked briefly at the cook next to her, noticing how the man had apparently fallen back into his shocked state. But then she turned all her focus back to Luffy, for Usopp had finally made his move and was now crushing Sanji into a bear hug.

"You did it! Man, you really did it! I was so sure that… I didn't think… Thank you." Releasing the other man Usopp backed away a bit, searching for any kind of reaction on his face. Slowly Sanji started shaking, a small smile tugging at his lips as he focused his eyes, first on Usopp's grinning face, and then on Luffy who was now steadily breathing in and out… in and out… in and out…

"Yeah..." was all he managed, but that was enough.

They stayed like that for a while, the three of them, happy to just listen to the sound that was Luffy's breathing. Really, how easy would it be just to stay there and listen to that sound forever? Nami was vaguely aware of a foreign smell, one that told her she should be paying attention to it, but in her little bubble of 'Luffy-is-breathing', she wanted to ignore it and stay in the blissful moment.

Unfortunately reality caught up to them all quickly when Luffy started coughing up blood and Nami snapped out of her trance to hover over the boy.

"Usopp, do you know what's wrong with him? He feels very cold, I don't… Hey, Usopp! Usopp!"

The sniper looked at Nami like he was seeing her for the first time and mumbled out a few words that sounded muffled and distant to her. _Not again.. _She thought when she realized that the dizzy feeling from before was coming back. She shook her head, but it didn't help. They couldn't afford this right now! Then there was a wet cloth suddenly covering her mouth and nose, and in the matter of 30 seconds she was already feeling a little better. She looked up to see that it was Sanji who was holding the cloth (a ripped piece of his own jacket) to her face. He had a similar one tied around his own head, and with his other hand he was holding one more piece to Usopp's face. With a prompt from the cook Nami and Usopp both lifted up their hands to tie the clothing tightly around their heads like Sanji had.

"It's some sort of gas. It affects pretty quickly too. I recognized the symptoms from an accident we had at the kitchen once. Someone left the gas stove on, and even though it was pretty mild compared to this, after a while one of our cooks started to stagger and slur, feeling dizzy and aggravated. The gas must be coming from somewhere upstairs, because our symptoms lessened when we came down here. But now that the ceiling has holes on it, it's slowly making it's way down here too." Sanji explained, while ripping out one more piece of his jacket and dipping it in the water that sprayed from a broken pipe. Tying that one around Luffy's head, he lifted the young Captain from the ground and with Usopp's help, they secured him on Sanji's back.

"We need to get out of here quickly. These clothes won't really help much, it's just a temporary solution. Besides, I'm sure Luffy doesn't need anything else.."

Nami and Usopp looked at the cook expectantly, waiting for him to go on, wondering why he stopped mid sentence. But the cook only frowned and seemed to focus on something else.

What Nami and Usopp didn't notice or hear was a small voice, trying to say something. Luffy had apparently regained some of his consciousness and was telling Sanji something, but he had a lot of trouble understanding the barely audible whisper.

"..jj...ji...h..ss," Sanji didn't understand.

"Luffy… Just stay quiet, we've got you now, okay?" The other two jumped a bit, only now realizing that Luffy was moving on Sanji's back. They were surprised at the gentleness in Sanji's voice, it was very rare to hear the cook sound like this. He was doing his best to sooth the somewhat aggravated Captain, who seemed to struggle more and more.

"No..h..sss," he tried again, this time a little louder. Nami frowned, walked to Sanji and Luffy and carefully rubbed the latter's back in comforting circles.

"Just take it easy, okay? You're hurt really bad, but we're gonna take you to Chopper and he'll patch you up in no time. I bet he's gonna force you to stay in bed for a few days and rest, so better get used to that now." She tried to lighten the mood, hoping Luffy would find comfort in it. But all her touch did was make Luffy flinch violently and gasp in pain.

"H..tsss… Hrrtss..." Luffy's hands which were draped over Sanji's shoulders were twitching and gripping at the cook's shirt with white knuckles. Sanji glanced down at the desperate fists and suddenly Luffy's words made sense.

"Hurts? What hurts, Luffy?" All three of them were getting a little panicked. Luffy had never admitted to any sort of pain or complained about something hurting (unless you count his whines when nami hit him, but he wasn't exactly serious then). So his admittance to feeling pain was a blinking red light with an alarm sound ringing in their ears. Just as it seemed the boy might have settled back down, his eyes shot open, his hands scratched painfully at Sanji's chest and he started breathing in sharp gasps.

"O-oy, Luffy! Calm down, it's okay, we've got you." Usopp tried, wide eyed with worry and fear. But Luffy didn't settle down, instead he started groaning, and before any of them could stop him, he moved his hands to push on Sanji's back, resorting in him falling of the cook's hold. Sanji released his grip on Luffy's legs on instinct, not wanting the younger to hit his head on the ground. All three of the standing straw hat's made a move to check on Luffy, but stepped back when the Captain crawled away from the. They couldn't do anything but watch as the young man ripped the cloth off of his face, then shakily held himself up on one arm, the other making it's way to circle around his stomach. His eyes were impossibly wide and full of pain. He broke into a cold sweat as he tried to take deep breaths, but in the end what ever was happening to him won over, and he started to throw up. Blood and stomach acids splattered on the ground as the young Captain coughed and sputtered, his whole body convulsing with the powerful spasms. When his stomach seemed to calm down, he collapsed on his side, shaking with exhaustion.

Nami was crying again, desperately wanting to take her Captain's pain away. Usopp had turned away, too much of a coward to witness his friends suffering. Sanji tried once again to make his way to Luffy, slowly to avoid scaring him.

"Hey, Luffy, you alright? We need to get you to Chopper, so I'm gonna have to carry you, okay?" At first he wondered whether Luffy even heard him. He seemed to be mostly out of it, his eyes unfocused, circling the damaged room around him. With a lot of trouble, he managed to locate the origin of the voice calling out to him. Luffy furrowed his brow, looking slightly scared as he stared at Sanji, eyes hard and calculating.

"Zoro," was all he said. Sanji glanced at Nami and Usopp, confirming that he wasn't the only one who was starting to get seriously freaked out. But Nami and Usopp were both looking up at the ceiling, wondering about the smell of something burning. It was the same smell nami had ignored just a few minutes prior, but it was much stronger now, demanding their attention. Sanji smelled it too. Along with the black smoke that had started to seep through the other end of the hallway and the rising temperature, he guessed they were running out of time.

"No, Luffy. It's me, Sanji, and over there is Nami and Usopp. We'll get you out of here now." But Luffy just looked more confused than ever.

"Zoro... Where?" He moved his hand slowly to grasp around Sanji's wrist, eyes pleading. The cook let out a sigh, knowing he had no other option. The gas leak and explosions had obviously started a fire somewhere, and being in a closed off hallway full of gas with a raging fire near by was not something he wanted to experience, especially after everything that had already happened.

"Sorry Captain, but we really need to get out of here." Not caring about the weak attempts of protest, he lifted Luffy back on his back, holding on to his legs tightly. Luckily Nami had caught on and worked quickly to tie Liffy's wrists together on top of Sanji's chest with whatever was left of Sanji's torn jacket, making sure the Captain couldn't push himself off again.

After that it didn't take them too long to find a staircase that was still somewhat in one piece, making their way upstairs, Nami helping Usopp who at this point was running with adrenaline as his only source of energy. With a mad dash they rushed outside into the fresh air, away from the dust, rubble and gas, finally taking a deep breath and blinking at the misty light. Little ways ahead they could see four figures sitting on the ground, and all three of them sighed in relief.

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Outside the factory, with Robin, Franky, Brook and Zoro

Zoro was seething. How the hell did he pass out in the middle of a fight! How shameful. No way was he ever going to let that curly brow know about this, or he'd never hear the end of it, it was bad enough with these three already...

"Oh, and next time bro, lay of the explosions. I'm all for some pyro art, but it'd be nice if you didn't try to evaporate us with it." Franky laughed good heartedly, earning him a one eyed glare from the swordsman.

"It was not my fault! Well, one maybe, but I had nothing to do with the others! I was freaking unconscious for most of it, unless you missed that part..." Zoro grumbled in irritation. He couldn't believe he had missed out on most of the action! And now they were blaming him for everything…

"Well, actually, they were all caused by you, swordsman-san." Robin's sweet voice cut through Zoro's thoughts. He immediately fixed her with a challenging stare, daring her to explain.

"The first explosion, which you caused by cutting into that gas tank, by accident_, of course_..." Robin's eyes twinkled mischievously.

_The woman is really enjoying this, isn't she… _Zoro tried his best to keep his temper in check.

"...ended up causing a fire, which then turned into a chain reaction of the gas tanks exploding one after the other. I don't even want to think about how long this place has been abandoned, it didn't take much for them to go off." Now Zoro just felt even more annoyed than before. There was nothing he could say to defend himself, so he opted to be quiet instead, which in turn seemed to amuse Robin even further, judging by the chuckling he heard.

Brook was just softly humming, the other side of his face cracked and most of his white bones covered in black coal.

"Aaah, but luckily we escaped that horrible fire. Yohoho, I hope Nami-san and Sanji-san are also fine." They all looked back at the building they had run out of just a few minutes ago. The other side was covered by flames, the walls falling down one after another. They could only hope the other two (and Luffy of course) were not on that side. But they all trusted in their nakama's abilities to take care of themselves. The two of them had been trusted with the task of getting Luffy, and that's what they would do.

"Hmm. All we can do is wait. We would be of no use to them right now." Robin said, still a little dizzy from the gas.

"Oy, but what if they are laying somewhere _useless_ like Zoro?" Franky teased, half kidding. Zoro was too tired to care anymore and just closed his eye.

"Cook-san and Navigator-san are both smart, they wouldn't let such a shameful thing happen." Robin replied, fully enjoying the twitch in Zoro's otherwise still form.

"Ooooy! Everybody!" All four straws hats jumped a little at the familiar voice. They turned to look at Nami and Sanji, running away from the smoking building. But the one who had called for them was...

"Usopp!"

The relief the straw hats felt was indescribable.

Frankly quickly ran to meet the four and helped Usopp the rest of the way. Robin smiled happily and finally let herself relax enough to sit down. She had gotten a few injuries while fighting to help Zoro, and was now feeling the full extent of her exhaustion. Their relief how ever was short lived when Zoro shot up from his place on the ground, startling them all. He walked straight to the cook, which was very surprising. Sure, Sanji seemed a little worse for wear, but Zoro didn't usually openly show any concern for anyone, even his crew, let alone Sanji of all people. But what happened next explained his odd behavior.

Robin, Brook and Franky had all noticed Luffy on Sanji's back, but their happiness of seeing the lost captain again after such a long time blinded them from seeing the problem. The fact that Luffy wasn't walking by himself alone was a cause for worry, and seeing how his hands had been tied together to keep him up was horrifying.

Zoro however seemed to have a built-in 'Luffy's-in-trouble' -radar, and was already making mental notes on the boys condition as he reached him and the cook. With no words needed, Sanji untied Luffy's hands while Zoro supported the boy's weight, and then pulled him in his arms. Sanji followed after the swordsman and they settled down where the others were waiting for them.

Using gentleness that was reserved for his Captain only, the first mate sat down so that Luffy's head was comfortably resting on his shoulder. Everybody waited in silence for Zoro to speak first, not wanting to interrupt his attempts to make sure Luffy was leaning on him in a manner that wouldn't put any weight on his most obvious injuries. Usopp was nursing his swollen ankle and everyone else looked tired and a little scraped, but it was nothing that a good rest wouldn't heal. Luffy on the other hand...

"How much do we know?" Zoro finally asked. All eyes turned to look at the three on the swordsman's left. Sanji took one look at Nami who still seemed to suffer from dizziness, and decided his side of the story would have to do.

"Not much. His wrist and shoulder look pretty bad, but that much is obvious. He's been disoriented and confused. He threw up... He looked to be in a lot of pain, but we didn't have time to pinpoint the origin. Also... When we found him and Usopp, he wasn't... Breathing." Sanji let the last word sink in, horrified glances turning to look at the unconscious Captain, before finishing:

"Why, I don't know..." He turned to look at Usopp, begging for an explanation, for any sort of reason for Luffy's condition so they could start healing him as soon as possible.

Usopp shivered and covered a little under the hopeful eyes of his crew mates. He hated how he had to let them down even more.

"I'm sorry, I don't know much more. When I got there, he was already like this. Except... He was wet. Like, someone decided to throw a bucket of water on him kind of wet. Then after the ceiling came down he wasn't breathing. I mean, I just don't know... He obviously had a fever, and the shoulder wound was bleeding, but I didn't see any reason why he would be... Well, like this. I mean, he looks like he's d..."

"DON'T! Don't say it, Usopp. Luffy's gonna be fine." Everyone was startled by Nami's angry exclamation. But they also understood. Luffy and dying were two words that should never be said in the same sentence.

The shock of Nami's outburst brought Sanji out of his worried thoughts and he turned his attention to Robin and the others instead.

"Talking about ceilings coming down, any of you wanna explain the whole explosion and fire situation?" He raised his eyebrow in a questioning manner.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Robin and Franky couldn't help their smirks, but Zoro stopped the fun before it started.

"A little side effect of a meaningless battle."

Sanji looked between the Marimo and the other two and decided to look into it better a little later, because there was clearly a story there that he wanted to hear.

Sanji was just about inquire Robin further about her injuries, when Usopp's confused voice stopped him.

"Oy Zoro, what are you doing?" Usopp was looking at the swordsman with his eyes serious and unyielding. Zoro however either didn't notice or care. That was when Sanji noticed the the way Luffy was shifting uncomfortably in the swordsman's lap. His eyes shifted downwards to what was visible of Zoro's hand which was supporting Luffy's back. The hand that rested on the raven's arm was gripping the skinny limp, tightly enough to make Zoro's knuckles turn white, and considering the strength Sanji knew the Marimo possessed, it had to hurt like hell.

"Hey, you listening, bastard. You're hurting Luffy!" Sanji said, a little louder than Usopp had. This time Zoro heard it, his eyes flickering to Sanji for a second before loosening his grip, looking confused and a little disturbed by the already forming bruise on Luffy's arm. he shifted slightly, looking like he wanted to get away from his Captain, but remained in place, not meeting any of his nakama's eyes.

The other straw hats decided that Zoro was just so worried, still disoriented from the gas and smoke, and didn't realize what he was doing. But Sanji couldn't let himself be fooled so easily, no matter how much he wanted to. He had seen the look in the first mate's eye when he had met Sanji's glare. It was merely a few seconds, but there was no mistaking the anger and malice behind the shock. If Sanji didn't know better, he would've sworn the marimo had done it on purpose… But that was impossible. Out of all of them, Zoro was the most sensitive to Luffy's pain. The two of them shared an unexplainable bond where they could tell what the other was feeling, in every situation, no words needed. So no, Zoro would never hurt Luffy on purpose… right?

"We really should get going guys. Chopper and the others should be here by now, and the Captain needs medical care as soon as possible. We can exchange stories later." Franky said, very much ready to lay down himself and leave this all behind.

"Yeah, Franky's right. Now that we have Luffy back, all we need to focus on is making sure he gets better. And I really don't wanna stay here any longer, this mist is sort of spooky. Hopefully we can just forget that this ever happened..." Nami said hopefully, getting up and ready to leave.

"Yeah, it's all over now." Usopp agreed, happy to back with his friends.

"Not exactly. You're forgetting something." Robin said, a foreboding look in her eyes. She almost felt bad bringing this up, looking at her tired nakamas. But there was no way around it.

"What is it, Robin-chwan?" Sanji asked, honestly confused but at the same time realizing that there was something he was supposed to remember.

"I'm sure you've all noticed the lack of a certain person in all of this." She looked at the others expectantly, waiting for them to burst the sweet safety bubbles that had formed after getting Luffy back. They all reacted in a similar manner, their eyes darkening and hands edging to get their respective weapons. Zoro was the one to say it out loud.

"Genzo!"

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**Sooooo... Genzo has a plan, I assure you. He has been absent for a reason. Actually his plan is sort of in motion already, wonder if any of you can guess or if it'll be a complete surprise. As a hint, it has to do with his ability, which he has not really used yet, at least as far as we know. Also, what ever happened with the others between Zoro passing out and all of them getting out of the building will be told.**

**Also, sorry about the lack of any proper fighting scenes. I'm saving most of it for the end. This story will be even longer than I thought after it already grew longer once. x) Does that make any sense?**

**Also, I know a wet cloth barely helps filter gas at all, but for the sake of the story it has to do.**

**I'm having a little trouble with the fact that I come up with the story as I go. Of course the general plot was planned out from the start, but otherwise I've surprised myself more than once. The problem with this is that it is very hard to keep all the storylines together, especially when I suddenly come up with completely new things and then I have to make sure it all goes together with what I've written before, and it's really hard trying not to forget some things I wrote in the first chapters that still need explaining. :D so, I've decided that for my next multi-chap fic (yes, there will be another one, whoever is interested ;) I just decided to completely finish this one first) I will plan the story better and stick with the plot.**

**Okay, after all that I still want to thank all the encouraging reviewers! You guys are amazing. ^-^ Thank you so much! I've been smiling like a fool again. :P Also, this story now has more than a 100 followers! I am really happy to know so many of you are still interested. Makes me more motivated. ;)**

**Here are some answers to reviews, since I haven't done this in ages:**

**gamelover41592: **I have a bad feeling too… Something weird is going on. Thank you for sticking with the story!

**The voice of all things: **I'm really happy you are so into the story! And sorry for the cliffhanger. Here's another one I guess.. But Luffy's not dead! That's the most important thing, right?

**Cream the cat: **Thank you for your review! I did update a little sooner this time… Sorry for the waits. Especially since I did have this chapter done ages ago. .

**SilenceOfRain7: **I wouldn't do that! Never! If you start something you have to see it through, right? ;) So no worries, this story shall be finished. Thank you for your interest!

**nani-onigiri: **Your feelings are correct, Genzo IS planning something… but what? Guess we'll find out later. ;) Thanks for reviewing, it always means a lot!

**a1wonder50: **I know! I'm a little mean like that. Can't let them off the hook too easy. There will be blood! Okay, no, I'm just being dramatic. Thanks for reviewing! :D

**tmb1112: **Thanks for all the reviews! Hopefully you'll stay with story till the end. :)

**redlipstick77: **I would never do that! Or would I… Well, everyone's alive for now, even poor Luffy's hanging in there. Thank you for the review. :)


	15. Chapter 15 - Lose Yourself

**When Luffy Went a Little too Far - Chapter 15**

**!IMPORTANT NOTE****: Yikes people, I finally did it, I made a mistake! As a first time writer and with a mind as jumbled as mine, this was bound to happen at some point. Anyway, I totally forgot that Brook was still there when Barbaria told Chopper about the kairoseki bullet! (In chapter 11) In my mind Chopper was the only one who knew all along, but Brook knew too! And of course Brook would've told everyone right away. So, the easiest solution for me is to go back and change up that chapter to look like it's supposed to (and I say supposed to because I want it to be the way it's been in my head this whole time), and that's what I will be doing now. Hopefully since no one has commented about this, you all forgot too? x) I'll get that done as soon as possible, and then will go on with the story. So sorry about this. Please forgive me. *~***

**And then to the next thing:**

**I looked over the Thousand Sunny blueprints again and realized I've misplaced some rooms. I don't know how many of you even really know or care where each room is, but for me at least I need a clear visual of where I am when I write. :D So, since I think there are some mistakes in the earlier chapters concerning this, I will be fixing that too. From here on everything's in it's rightful place!**

**And one last thing, thank you so much for all the support, new follows and favs as well as reviews. :) I'm happy to know ya'll are patient enough to still be interested, even if I take so long to update. .**

**Warnings: Hmm.. Some mild swearing I guess. And angst. And badly hurt Luffy. .**

**Disclaimer: Don't own OP or any of the characters.**

**Name of chapter: Lose Yourself. A track from the movie Black Swan.**

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**Chapter 15 - Lose Yourself**

By the time the Straw Hat crew found their way back to Sunny, they were happy to find out the revolutionaries' ship anchored a little ways from their own. That meant that Chopper was here, and if Chopper was here, they could get Luffy help right away.

They had thought about Genzo's disappearing act for exactly two seconds before Zoro announced that as much as he wanted to kick the bastard's ass, their main concern was Luffy. The swordsman was especially worried about the fact that Luffy had bruised from his grip. Sure, had had been squeezing pretty damn hard, not that he wanted to admit that because he still couldn't believe he had let himself slip like that and hurt his Captain. But even so, Luffy shouldn't bruise at all unless haki was used, which he hadn't. So it was entirely possible that the bruises the raven was already sporting all over his body were a sign of something much worse than they initially thought, and that was on top of the fact that his heart had stopped once. In short, they needed Chopper, now.

Luckily the tiny doctor was already waiting, rushing them into the infirmary the moment they boarded the ship. He took exactly one look at Luffy before ordering the others out of the crowded room.

"Zoro, Robin, you two stay. Everybody else out!" He said firmly, leaving no room for questioning. When in the infirmary, Chopper was the boss. The rest of the crew rushed out of the room after throwing one more worried look towards the pale raven lying still on the bed.

Not really knowing what else to do, Sanji started to heat up some water for tea as the others sat around the dining room table. They were cold, tired and worried and a warm cup of tea sounded like a pretty good idea right about then.

They all sat in silence for a long time, ears sharp in case they might overhear anything from the room next door, but all that could be heard was some random, muffled shouts and feet stomping around.

Brook however was deep in thought. As the only devil fruit user in the room, he couldn't help but wonder about his Captain's bruises. Luffy shouldn't bruise. There was the possibility that he had been held in kairoseki cuffs, it was pretty likely actually, which would make him bruise easier, but even then he should have started healing the moment those cuffs were removed. But instead the bruises had looked as bad and painful as they would on any normal person. Some of them looked a lot older than others, which would mean Luffy had been exposed to the dreaded stone for a long time. Which, once again, made sense since he'd been captive, but still didn't explain why he wasn't healing now. And when Zoro squeezed him, he got new bruises… Maybe the swordsman had used haki? Brook hadn't felt any though…

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud scream originating from the infirmary. All eyes turned to look at the door that separated them from their suffering Captain. They could all feel his pain, the agony filled screams pulling at their hearts.

Sanji's hand shook as he poured the tea. He carried the tray to the table and gave everyone a cup, getting four quiet 'thank yous' in return, only to realize that he still had four left on the tray. His cup was still in the kitchen, which meant he had out of habit prepared too many. He sighed and just sat down, taking one of the cups on the tray. It wasn't like it mattered anyway.

It was then that they heard a door slam. They all looked to the others for an answer, but since no one had any, they rushed out of the dining room to see what had happened. They could see the green haired swordsman run up the stair on the other side of the deck and head towards the figure head. He must've gotten out of the infirmary through the back door.

Seeing their first mate so obviously upset made them all panic a little at what might've happened to make him run out like that, and so they all followed Sanji who ran after the swordsman instantly.

Once the cook got closer, he slowed down a bit, noticing how the swordsman was holding his head between his hands and pulling at his hair desperately. This made him hesitate. There was no way that Luffy was… No, that couldn't be it. But he had to make sure. He reached out a hand towards his friends shoulder, and that's when all hell broke lose.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

In the infirmary, with Chopper, Robin, Zoro and Luffy

When the door finally closed, Chopper was already in full doctor mode. He tried Luffy's temperature, checked his pulse and pupils. His body was fighting hard, but it was a losing battle. If what the old man had told him about the kairoseki bullet was true, it was no wonder Luffy was in the condition he was. He had to get the bullet out, now!

"Zoro, cut off his clothes, Robin, can you get me fresh bandages and a wet cloth." His orders were followed immediately, no questions asked. Zoro removed Luffy's hat first, placing it gently onto the empty desk besides them. Then he took the scissors and cut, not caring about destroying the clothes. He disposed of the ripped clothing and moved to the side to give Robin room to start cleaning the dirt, blood and dust off the boy's skin. Chopper was undressing the dirty bandages, dreading what he might find underneath.

"I don't know how much you guys know, but we ran into some people who were locked up with Luffy on Genzo's ship. That's where I've been, helping them out with their injured." Robin and Zoro both nodded, confirming that they knew this much.

"One of them knew to tell me a little of what has happened to Luffy. Apparently Genzo possessed some kairoseki bullets and used them to catch him." Robin shuddered lightly, knowing the horrible feeling kairoseki caused to devil's fruit users. She had never been shot with a bullet made of the stone, and she didn't want to even imagine what it would feel like to have it inside you...

"Wait! The reason he's like this, bruises so easy! It could only be if..." She looked at Chopper in horror, wishing she was wrong, but knowing there was no other explanation.

"Yeah... One of them is still inside him. This long term exposure is too much for his body and it's starting to shut down. His heart is working too hard to keep everything working right. We need to get the bullet out before his heart gives up..."

"It did." Zoro announced in a monotone voice. He was finding all of this more than overwhelming, and he suddenly felt like he needed to take a step back and sit down.

"It did? His heart stopped?!" Chopper asked frantically, momentarily stopping what he was doing. He looked from Zoro to Robin, seeing the answer in their eyes.

"But how did you... Never mind, we can get to that later." He was done checking the shoulder wound, making sure nothing there needed his immediate attention.

"The shoulder looks fairly okay. It's a through and through bullet wound, stitched up though a little hastily. Some of the stitches have ripped, I'll need to redo those. The shoulder also seems to be dislocated, which is weird because Luffy's bones... Oh, right, the bullet." The doctor kept muttering quietly, both for himself and for the other two occupants of the room, knowing they would want to know what was going on. Next he moved to the stomach, unwrapping the blood soaked bandages, and even after being warned, after knowing how bad it might be, what he discovered left him speechless.

The wound was angry red, oozing fluids and blood in a steady stream. The whole area was swollen and dotted with red spots.

"What the hell?" Zoro asked, looking a little disturbed. Robin focused her attention on the task in hand, and tried to distance herself from the situation. She knew Chopper had asked the two of them to stay for a reason: they were both cool headed and wouldn't panic for nothing. But this wasn't nothing.

"It's obviously infected and this looks like the beginning of septicemia, which is bad, but the good news is that at least we know what is causing most of his symptoms and know how to treat it. We need to start him on antibiotics right away." Chopper propped around the wound carefully, pushing lightly. But apparently not lightly enough: Luffy's whole body went rigid, arching off the bed in an attempt to get away from the intruding hands.

"Shoot, this is not gonna be easy. Zoro, I'm gonna need you to hold him still. This is going to hurt a lot and I need him to stay put. Can you do that?" Zoro noded but couldn't help wondering.

"But can't you give him something for the pain?" He was starting to get a little scared. He knew Luffy didn't mind a little pain, but he wasn't used to this, seeing Luffy like this. It wasn't right.

"I can't give him anything for the pain before I know if there are any drugs in his system. Giving him something now might just make him worse. This wound is my first concern, which means we need to get the bullet out now, clean the wound and start antibiotics as soon as possible, so will you please just hold him still?" Chopper's voice grew louder with every word, making Zoro cower a little. This time he just nodded and positioned himself so he could easily hold Luffy down, carefully avoiding the left shoulder, taking a hold of the skinny arm instead.

At some point during the operation, he wasn't sure when, the swordsman's eye had slid close. He could feel Luffy's body struggle in his hold every now and then, but the attempts were so weak he felt like laughing. Not really, but since he sure as hell wouldn't cry, laughing seemed like the next best thing. After an oxygen mask was placed on the Captain's mouth, his breathing evened a little bit, but Zoro could still feel the fluttering heart beat through the burning skin. After what felt like forever of Chopper muttering to himself, Luffy groaning in pain and Robin moving around to hand Chopper whatever he asked for, he finally heard the sound he had been waiting for: a long relieved sigh from the tiny doctor.

"Alright, that should do for now and then when… oy! Zoro, you're holding on too tight!" Chopper cried out, noticing how one of the swordsman's other hand had moved from it's place, now pushing on Luffy's neck hard enough to make the raven gasp for breath even with the oxygen mask on. Robin turned to look at the man who was currently squeezing the life out of their Captain, and when he didn't seem to loosen the hold at all, she stepped in and gripped his arm tightly, demanding attention. One confused green eye met her gaze, silently begging for help. Robin was a bit shocked, but complied and used both of her hands to pry the strong fingers from Luffy's neck. Zoro himself seemed to be even more shocked, his body starting to shake as he looked at his hand which, for the second time that day, had caused harm to his Captain.

"Zoro. Maybe you should step outside?" Robin asked firmly, though it wasn't really a question. Zoro just nodded and after making sure Luffy was still breathing, he rushed out of the infirmary, banging the door behind him.

"Robin… what was that? There was a weird look in his eye that I didn't like..." Chopper asked softly, shaken from the first mate's actions.

"I'm not sure but don't worry, I'll take care of it. Do you need me here anymore?" She didn't want anything distracting the young Doctor, not when it was Luffy's life on the line.

"No, I think I can take it from here." Chopper replied quietly, a frown on his face.

"Doctor-san. You did well." Robin said, earning a tired smiled in return.

"If you don't mind, I would like to go see swordsman-san and make sure he is okay." After an affirmative nod from the reindeer, she peeled the elastic cloves from her hands and left the room. After closing the door she took a deep breath. It seemed like their ordeal was nowhere near over, and she was not looking forward to telling her nakamas that. She could hear voices coming from the deck, and besides her tired and almost numb feet, started running to see what was causing the commotion.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

Front of Sunny, with Zoro

Zoro sat on the figure head, on the same spot where Luffy so often sat when he wanted to be alone. Somehow he felt like sitting there might make him see the world from Luffy's point of view. And that's what he needed; a little bit of Luffy's naive positiveness, because right now all he could see was an overwhelming, all consuming shadow that was blinding his vision.

What had that been in the infirmary? And before too… He wouldn't hurt Luffy, not in a million years, so why had he done that? It was like he couldn't control what he was doing, or more like what his body was doing. The first time he was looking elsewhere and just now in the infirmary he'd had his eye closed, and somehow, his hand had just moved on its own, without him being aware of it. How was that even possible?

The swordsman held his head between his hands, willing the thoughts to go away. What was wrong with him?

That was when he sensed someone behind him, a hand stretching towards him… an enemy, trying to surprise him. Out of pure instinct he grabbed one of his swords where they lay next to him, pulled the blade out with the intention of ridding his attacker of their arm. However, the person dodged.

_He's fast, but I'm faster._ He thought, getting ready for another swing when a leg came out of nowhere, colliding with his head and sending him flying.

_Floppy… I was careless, I should have seen that…_ And then it was like the lights had been turned on and suddenly he could see clearly. Only, he didn't like what he was seeing.

There was the curly brow cook, staring at him with a look in his eyes that seemed to switch between rage and sadness… no… betrayal? And the rest of his crew was there too, all staring at him in shock. They all seemed to be standing sort of far away, almost like they were scared of him. And now that he _really _looked, he could understand why. Sanji's right arm was bleeding pretty badly from a wound that… _I did that._

It was all Zoro could think about for a moment. He had attacked one of his nakama.

"What the hell?! What… Oy, are you okay? Hey, marimo! OY, ZORO!" The cook calling him by his name was what it took to pull Zoro back to reality.

"I… I didn't… Sorry." He mumbled, not sure what he should say. He couldn't very well tell them that he had just seriously tried to cut the cook's arm off, could he?

"It's been a long day and I've got a headache… You took me by surprise… that's all..." He could see that they found that hard to believe, but after everything that had happened during the past few days, especially today, they were all just tired enough to leave it be.

Sanji, who had had an uneasy feeling ever since Zoro had tried to practically rip Luffy's arm of, was in a desperate need for a shower and now, _thanks to that shitty marimo_, first aid too, and he still had to make sure they had a proper meal tonight. So he let it go, promising himself he would look into it later.

Robin, who had witnessed all three mishaps, and was smart enough to know that something was seriously wrong was still distracted by Luffy and his condition, and the others were starting to ask her for information and Nami said something about a bath. So she ignored her instincts.

The rest of the strawhats who hadn't really noticed the way the swordsman's eye flashed with something unpleasant as he told a lie that they believed, and only because they wanted to, were tired and looking forward to hearing about Luffy and eat their first real meal in days, and so they walked away.

And then Zoro, who knew he should have said something then, told them that something was wrong, ask them for help, was too proud and too shocked to be able to open his mouth and so he stayed silent.

A big mistake, as they all would find out later. But when you really don't want to see something, even when it's right in front of your eyes, it is surprisingly easy to just ignore it. And for the second time since this all started, the Strawhats let their tiredness get the best of them.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**Dun dunn! I feel like this is turning into a horror movie. xD But nicely done people, some of you are on the right track about Genzo and his evil master plan! Sorry I left it there, but it just seemed so perfectly cruel… ^-^**

**Review answers:**

**tmb1112: **You are right, they should have realized something was wrong a long time ago. But I guess the characters think like me and I overlooked it. . Maybe they were too overwhelmed with getting Luffy back and all to pay attention to it? I don't know. I was. :D I tried to fix it here a bit, Robin had her suspicions as did Brook, and Chopper already knew. Thank you sooo much your review, I am so happy that somebody is finally questioning my writing. :D Honestly, I wouldn't have noticed this mistake otherwise, I usually get a little too excited when writing… that's why I need a beta. O.o Anyway, thanks! ^-^

**gamelover41592: **Yup… except not really. He _will _be back.. and maybe he sort of is back, if you read between the lines. Thanks for staying with the story and taking the time to review. ;)

**SilenceOfRain7: **Yikes! I am humbled by your review. And a little flustered. O.O But so so happy that you like it. ^-^ I love angst too, so there should be no shortage of that in the rest of the story either. :D I can't tell you how much reviews like this mean to me!

**Son of Whitebeard: **He is planning, but WHERE IS HE! Seriously, I think we have all been waiting for that ass kicking for quite a while now, and he just disappears like this? Yare, yare… Thanks for your review! ^-^

**somefangirl: **Waah! What do you mean evil incarnate? xD That was hilarious. But yes, them not noticing the kairoseki earlier than this was purely a mistake I made. And just like I told the other person who pointed this out, THANK YOU! This is the first time someone has questioned the story. :D And I'm happy, otherwise I would have overlooked that. So hopefully this chapter fixed that a little, since I can't really go back and change it. (Tho I am going back and changing this Brook situation) I got a little too excited and hasty and didn't notice that. . Thank you for this review, I think this is what reviewing is all about, helping the author get better, right? Hope you enjoyed the new chapter. ^-^

**animelover123590: **Here it is! Thanks to all the great reviews, they always inspire me. :D So thank you, hope you keep reading! :)

**JustHopeForHope: **Weird? What are you talking about?! A reward shaped cookie is the best idea ever! :D Though I would actually prefer chocolate… chocolate covered cookie? Chocolate chip cookie? Double chocolate with cookie crust?... I don't really care, as long as there's chocolate in there somewhere. :P

Thank you so much for the review as well as fav and follow! :) Hope you enjoyed this new chapter!

**nani-onigiri: **You are definitely on the right track! There is something weird going on with Zoro, and Genzo is planning something.. has to be somehow connected, right? ;) Thank you for taking the time to review, I think you'va been reviewing since chapter 6 or 7 or so? So special thanks for sticking with me this long. ^-^

**Harihi: **You noticed! And you're right, Luffy can't be affected by poison, so what is going on? All I can say is that everything weird has to do with Genzo's ability. ;)

**ilyana44: **Thank you! And sorry for taking a while. -.- But here it is!

**zulqar95: **You're correct. :( Poor Luffy needs a serious apology!

**sanguinerose93: **I think reading is just practise for writing… So really, just call it research for your essay. x) Ja kiitos! :D Täällä ei usein suomalaisiin törmääkään. :3

**lambtastic: **Uuh, you're close. :D Thanks for the review. ;)

**JEM0013: **I most definitely will keep writing, how ever slow I do it. x) Sorry for that. Thank you for the review and here's a new chap. :)


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